Kismet
by Witherwolf
Summary: Medical students Sasori and Deidara are similar in so many ways that it's frightening, but even they have their respective problems which sometimes make life seem unberable. Their meeting is almost like a God-sent chance to rectify their lives. They can either help each other or potentially destroy each other.
1. Chapter 1

"You're glaring at thin air as if it is the cause for your misery this fine morning. Care to explain?" Itachi questioned casually as he seated himself opposite the seething redhead.

Akasuna Sasori was reputable for a number of things and the first off the list was his short temper with his impatience following close behind. Needless to say, both things, added with the fact of him being a genius, rendered him a scary being and few dared to cross him path and those that did were thoroughly convinced never to do so again. One of the few who actually dared to converse to him when he was in such a foul mood was Uchiha Itachi whom he actually considered a friend.

"Why aren't you bonding with Aristotle?" Sasori asked calmly. His cool disposition didn't fool Itachi though; all that really meant was 'fuck off now', just phrased really nicely. Sasori didn't curse.

"He's buried a thousand miles underneath the ground," Itachi replied, as impassive as ever.

Sasori rolled his eyes but did not attempt to make the Uchiha leave again. Itachi was by no means a stubborn person and he would eventually leave if he was pressured enough but he generally did not poke into other people's business unnecessarily so Sasori did not bother. And Itachi, as expected, did not probe any further and just sat there, absent-mindedly sipping on his mocha.

Five minutes before nine, the two men left their seats and disposed their drinks at a nearby bin. After walking out of the cafeteria, they nodded at each other and parted ways, leaving for their respective lectures. It was a combine class that day and Sasori was definitely not look forward to it. Freshmen were always a nuisance, especially when they were in the same room as the great Akasuna Sasori. He rolled his eyes at the thought of them staring and fawning over him.

The moment he stepped into the lecture hall (at exactly nine sharp), excited whispering immediately filled the place. It was all he could do to not yell at them to shut up. Calmly, Sasori went to the middle row of the lecture hall. No matter which lecture hall he was in, he would always be at this spot as it was far enough from the lecturer so that he can sleep without feeling glares being bored into his skull, and yet it was not too far that the noises from the other students distracted him. The lecturer, as usual, was on time as well. Sasori shot dark looks at the students who were still streaming in and those who felt his glares on them rushed to the nearest seats immediately.

As Sasori respected this lecturer for at least being on time (his lectures were as boring as philosophy), he paid attention for the first fifteen minutes. When a student went up to do a presentation, he decided that catching up on his sleep was a better way to utilise his time. The sudden drop in the volume of the room told him that others were also dropping off already. He almost laughed. It had only been two minutes since the poor guy started talking.

"Seriously, un."

It wasn't a shout but it certainly wasn't a whisper either. That person had uttered that single word in a normal voice but in the silent hall it was practically a shout. The speaker immediately stopped his speech and was probably gaping at the interrupter. Normally Sasori could be less than bothered about someone making a comment about the on-going presentation but this was the first time someone had actually disrupted a presentation. With his interest piqued, Sasori lifted his head off the table and turned to the same direction that everyone else's heads were turned towards.

As there was only one person's whose head was still turned to the front, it was easy to tell who the disruptor was. Sasori could not see his expression – his long blonde hair was covering the side of his face Sasori could see – but judging from his tone, he should not seem very amused.

"Sorry?" the presenter seemed to have finally regained his ability to speak. Sasori noted with some amusement that he took so long to actually respond. "I'll have you know that everything in my presentation is accurate and that I have spent a long time researching this information and- "

"And I know," the blonde interrupted. "But as you can see no one cares and they're all falling asleep, un. And honestly I hate seeing people falling asleep in lectures because it's a reminder that I'm wasting my time in med school with idiots who probably do not even have the actual qualifications to be here. So can you try to make it the slightest bit interesting with whatever little presentation skills you possess?"

"_What?_" The speaker spluttered and Sasori saw some students flushing with anger. He found himself smirking despite feeling like he should be offended.

"Apparently your brain lacks the ability to process words quickly too, un. What, did you try ten times before getting into this course?"

"No I did not!" The presenter fumed. If he turned any redder, he would probably burst a blood vessel. The thought was morbidly interesting.

"Convince yourself, un," the blonde replied swiftly before sweeping his tote bag off the floor and standing up. "Enjoy the rest of the presentation," he said to the rest of the room before leaving the room. Everyone was too stunned to say anything for a while because never before had anyone just swept out of lecture like that. Sasori did not care much though, immediately dropping his head back into his arms so that he could continue sleeping.

Eventually (somehow), the lecturer managed to convince the student to continue the presentation, though he did so rather begrudgingly. The room was definitely more alive now, but the topic of discussion was definitely not about the content of the presentation, but rather the blonde.

_Interesting. _

"You're almost smiling. Did something good happen?" Itachi asked as he slid into the seat opposite Sasori, the scene similar to earlier that morning save the lighter atmosphere.

"A blonde student insulted the presenter and walked out of the lecture hall," Sasori explained, shrugging. It was possibly the most interesting thing that had happened for a long time but to Sasori, it was only pure entertainment which was fun while it lasted. He could not say the same for the presenter though. As he was leaving the lecture, he caught of the black haired man packing up his things with a depressed expression carved into his hard features.

"Deidara," Itachi verified with a slight roll of his eyes.

"You know him?"

"You're probably the only one who doesn't," Itachi replied.

"And he is?"

"A genius who entered with the top score of his year," Itachi said. "Much like you."

"And you," Sarori counter, "and that's where the similarities stop." Sure, what Deidara did was entertaining but Sasori would much rather not be compared to such a rude person. He actually had a reputation for being polite.

"Of course," Itachi agreed and the slight wrinkling of his nose told Sasori that Itachi definitely did not have a good impression of the blonde.

"Hidan," Deidara called as he spotted his best friend leaving the faculty building. Hidan frowned at him but made his way over to the tree Deidara was seated under nonetheless. On his way over, he insulted a group of girls (because really too much make up made them look like hags), walked through a couple so that they dropped their interlinked hands (they could attempt to eat each other's faces somewhere else), and glared at a freshman who ran off as fast as he could, all in the name of Jashin. Deidara watched this all in amusement, wondering if Hidan even had any friends in his faculty.

"What the fuck do you want blondie? Aren't you supposed to be in a bloody lecture now?" Hidan greeted as he ungracefully dropped to the ground next to Deidara.

"Walked out, un," Deidara replied, waving his hand to dismiss the matter.

"Oh Jashin! This is why I like you!" Hidan cheered as he stared at Deidara with new-found (sort of) admiration. "Next time insult someone first!"

"I actually insulted the senior doing a presentation, along with the whole room, un," Deidara confessed, a lazy smirk on his face at the look of awe on Hidan's face. Not many could draw that reaction out of Hidan, from what Deidara knew so far, and he considered an achievement. After all, Hidan managed to offend and possibly scar every single one of the professors in the Literature faculty by attempting to persuade them to convert to Jashinism by swinging his ritual staff (scythe) around like a possessed man.

"Fuck you!" Hidan said but the wonderment was all but apparent in his voice. "Did they try to murder you?"

"No, un. Too shocked," Deidara answered, laughing out loud when a look of disappointment came over Hidan's face.

"Damn! You could have kicked their mother-fucking asses!"

Deidara and Hidan had met completely by chance. As it so turned out, both of them were late for the first day of school when they coincidentally literally bumped into each other while rushing. After ten minutes of bickering, they realised that they were way too late decided to skip the whole orientation and go to a nearby café to waste some time instead. Exchanging numbers seemed to only be natural and ever since then, they had been randomly contacting each other. It had only been two weeks since school started but the chemistry between them made them best friends in no time at all.

"So what fucking wind blew you over anyway?" Hidan asked, lying down onto his back and closing his eyes.

"There wasn't really any other place to go, un," Deidara deadpanned.

"Heck, I think I have a lecture in half an hour," Hidan said but he didn't sound overly concerned or concerned at all actually. "Let's ditch."

"That's the best suggestion you have ever made, un," Deidara said and wasted no time in picking his bag up and walking away, Hidan close behind.

They ended up at a park some distance away from the school, because no matter what it still wouldn't do them good to be seen by anyone. Though, Hidan would probably just throw some stones at whoever dared approach them.

"Hidan, Deidara, shouldn't you two be in class?" a familiar voice called out, half amused and half exasperated.

"Hello Pein," Deidara said cheerily, waving while Hidan scowled.

"Who made you our father?!"

"It was simply a question," Pein replied, rolling his eyes and stared at the two. "Want to go for lunch?"

"Fuck yes!" Hidan whooped. "Are you paying?"

"Yes, yes," Pein said bemusedly. The way the two reacted it was as if they had never eaten for weeks, and that they were extremely poor. The latter was probably true though.

"Exactly why did you two skip?" Pein asked when they were seated and had ordered. "This is only the second week of school right?"

"Never knew you were so naggy, un," Deidara said while Hidan sniggered at the look of annoyance on Pein's usually impassive face. "But just to answer your question anyway, I was bored and so was Hidan."

"Don't decide for me, you bitch!" Hidan snapped but it was clear that that reason was the truth. After all, he was the one who suggested leaving. "Anyway, blondie walked out of lecture." And he proceeded to recount the tale to Pein who gave Deidara an exasperated look at the end.

"Seriously."

"Seriously, un! Why, did I do anything wrong?" Deidara asked innocently, though the mischievous glint in his eyes said otherwise.

"You are tactless," Pein eventually said, rolling his eyes.

Pein was someone Deidara and Hidan had encountered entirely by chance as well. They didn't meet him though; they met his girlfriend, Konan, who was a senior at Tokyo University as well. Like Hidan, she majored in Literature. After school the previous week, Deidara and Hidan had decided to eat at a Chinese restaurant. Upon entering, they had seen Konan who was apologising profusely to the cashier because she had forgotten to bring her money. To dispel the bad karma he had accumulated over the year, Deidara had paid for her. She had been so relieved that she invited them to dinner the next day as a way to repay them. Of course they accepted and that was where they met Pein. When she had said that she was going to treat them, she really meant that Pein was.

Needless to say, the dinner was an eventful affair.

_After ordering their food (Deidara had managed to make Hidan order the less expensive ones by threatening to steal his rosary), they had chatted idly for about five minutes before Hidan realised something._

"_Fuck man, I think I've seen you around before," he told Pein, frowning at him in annoyance. "Are you some sort of comedian?"_

"_A comedian?" Pein repeated, sounding rather offended. Konan tried really hard to contain her laughter. _

"_I take it as a no then," Hidan said, his frown deepening. He was staring at Pein intently by now. Knowing something but at the same time not being able to put a finger to it was one of Hidan's greatest pet peeves. "Oh fuck, you're that rich bastard CEO of that new freaking Ame Enterprise who took over 15 small companies in a year."_

"… _Yeah." _

"_Fuck." He then turned to Deidara and said accusingly, "Bitch, you could have let me order that abalone!"_

"_I didn't know he was _that _rich, un!" Deidara exclaimed before turning to Pein with a sweet smile. "So, do you think we could order some more?"_

_Pein had laughed right then, something he didn't do very often. Konan was shocked as well but she could understand why. Setting up his company from scratch and making it one of the most prosperous ones in Japan within the span of a single meant that he was really smart and capable. As such, everyone who worked for him or whoever he meets always tries to bootlick him, hoping to get something out of it. Needless to say, Pein had grown to hate those people a lot and really, there was _a lot_. Deidara and Hidan were definitely a fresh change. _

"_Sure," Pein agreed easily. Deidara stared at him as if he had grown an extra head and Hidan almost spat out his water._

"_Dude, that was a joke!" he explained slowly before turning to Deidara. "See, blondie, told you you weren't funny."_

"_No, it's not that," Pein interrupted before Deidara even opened his mouth to retort. "I really don't mind. It's been a while since people have been that carefree and honest, so to speak, around me."_

"_Shit man, your life sounds like it sucks," Hidan said before nodding. "Alright, you can treat us more to make you feel better. Go ahead, don't hold back."_

_Of course they hadn't ordered more food, because despite everything Hidan said he still felt that doing that was pushing it and taking advantage of Pein's kindness. _

"_But really, what made you think of a comedian?" Konan asked suddenly. _

"_Oh. I remembered laughing when I saw his screwed up face. Sorry, man, but you don't exactly look smart with all those piercings," Hidan said, trying and failing to sound apologetic. _

_Pein looked torn between wanting to punch him and just killing him. It was the most expressive face had shown that night (and ever). In fact, that night was the only night the two saw him talk so much. _

"_You know, I'm glad that you're honest and all but don't cross the line."_

_Hidan gave a weak laugh and dove into his food, while Konan and Deidara gave up trying not to laugh. The glares that the other two men were hardly enough to stop them. _

"Are you two going back to the university later?" Pein asked.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Hidan made a face as finished the last of his mango pudding. "No bloody way."

"I think whoever sees me would just throw stones at me, un. And I have being a martyr is not one of my ambitions , un," Deidara told Pein with a really serious face and Hidan snorted in agreement.

"You two are hopeless," Pein said before getting up. "Well, I have to return to my office now so see you two around."

"Remember to pay!" Hidan shouted after him and Pein rolled his eyes before walking over to the cashier and paying with his credit card. Before he left, he shot the two a dark look.

"So blondie, what are you going to do?" Hidan asked as they left the restaurant. "I'm going to pray the whole day."

Deidara stared at him incredulously.

"What?"

"Sorry, religious duty calls." Hidan shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He offered Deidara a somewhat apologetic look but it was clear that no matter what Deidara said, he was not going to relent. The blonde wasn't going to try to persuade him otherwise either. Hidan might be boorish and the most vulgar person Deidara had ever met, but he was also the most dedicated to his religion.

"Fine, see you tomorrow or something," Deidara said with a happy smile as he waved.

Hidan waved back and turned. It was not that crowded, seeing as it was weekday and lunch time was over. Deidara stared after Hidan until the Jashinist turned the corner and disappeared from view. Deidara sighed and turned the opposite direction, trudging down the pavement. There really wasn't anything to do. Of course being in med school meant that he had plenty of assignments to complete but he wasn't a genius in name only and had completed them already. They were relatively easy since it had only been two weeks since school started and there wasn't much that could be done. He did have a test later in the week but he didn't feel like studying either. Deidara sighed in annoyance and continued on his way, just walking around aimlessly and hoping his feet would take him somewhere interesting.

As it turned out, somewhere interesting was back at Tokyo University campus. He scowled and cursed his own feet but decided to enter anyway since there was nowhere else to be. Since it was break now (for the juniors and seniors at least), there were plenty of people outdoors, laughing, chatting, studying and whatnot.

"Heard you made quite a ruckus today."

Deidara rolled his eyes at the familiar voice and turned around with a bright smile plastered on his face.

"Nice to see you too, Itachi, un. Did you transfer to med school because you realised how utterly useless philosophy is?" Deidara greeted. He then noticed that Itachi wasn't alone. A short (still taller than him, he noted with slight irritation), red-haired man was with him. Deidara recognised him of course. Everyone knew of the genius, Akasuna Sasori.

"Philosophy is too complex to be understood by people such as yourself, so I do not find it surprisingly in the least bit that you find it to be useless," Itachi replied calmly. Deidara felt himself being increasingly frustrated. Maybe it was because the Uchiha was always so composed and always looked that way too, but Deidara was easily angered by him. Yes, Deidara was short-tempered and exploded more often than not but Itachi was definitely the only one who could make his skin crawl with irritation the moment he saw him.

"Anyway, hi Danna, un," Deidara said to Sasori, still beaming brightly. Itachi might have annoyed him but he wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing.

"Are you talking to me?" Sasori asked. Though his voice was emotionless and his face was blank, his voice held a note of incredulity which made Deidara smile wider.

"In case you haven't notice, besides this dufus over here, you're the only other person around, un," Deidara replied smoothly, relishing in the annoyance he felt radiating from Sasori. He loved riling people up. Their reactions were always so amusing. It was kind of ironic actually that he found their reactions so hilarious when he himself was so easily set off. However, despite all the impatience he felt from Sasori, the older student's expression gave none of those feelings away. His eyes, however, were narrowed.

"Brat, your mouth might get you in trouble one day." Sasori's voice was sharp and laced with venom. Deidara took no heed to them though.

"Are you referring to that lecture, Danna, un?" Deidara asked while laughing. "You were sleeping."

Sasori was shocked that Deidara actually knew who he was prior to this but he supposed that he was rather famous. Scratch that. Really famous. He tried not to roll his eyes.

"In no way did my actions caused him any disturbance, unlike yours," Sasori drawled before adding, "brat."

"I was just trying to tell him that his presentation was too boring to be worth listening to," Deidara said, smirking.

"And storming out of lecture was the best way to express that?" Sasori countered, raising a sceptical eyebrow. He felt rather amused by the approving twinkle in Itachi's eyes.

"No, un," Deidara replied. "It was just the most _expressive _way."

"Right," Sasori said curtly.

"Seriously, Danna, you need to loosen up or you'll only have friends like _that_, un," Deidara told him in a mock sympathetic tone, gesturing openly towards Itachi. The Uchiha shot him a glare that would have most cowering in fear by then but the blonde just continued to stare at him with a smirk.

"I don't need you to tell me what friends I ought to have, brat," Sasori snapped before turning swiftly and walking away. Itachi followed silently, leaving Deidara very much amused.

"What did I tell you," Itachi said.

"He's annoying as hell," Sasori admitted, still feeling rather angered by the previous confrontation. The self-assured air of confidence and the way Deidara spoke to him as if they were friends for a long time annoyed him to no end. "What a brat."


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews for the previous chapter! They made me really happy and motivated and hence I was able to churn out this chapter so soon. ^^ Please continue reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! :D

* * *

The day was normal, normal as in boring. There was practically nothing to do, and yes Deidara was supposed to be in lecture but he really didn't want to go. If anyone asked, he'll say that he's too ashamed to show his face after that last outburst. Currently, the blonde is actually hoping that someone would ask him, just so he could actually say it. The thought made him laugh, and a few people stared at him like he was nuts, but he ignored them all.

"Have you ever heard of Akasuna Sasori?" Hidan greeted Deidara as he handed him his lunch. Egg and ham sandwich. Deidara frowned, sure that he asked for a muffin, but he figured this was revenge for earlier that morning.

"Yeah, what about Danna, un?" Deidara replied simply, accepting his meal and digging into it immediately. He had woken up late, and he would have slept through the whole day if Hidan had not called him. Needless to say, waking up to colorful and loud profanities and threats was not exactly the ideal way to do so. Deidara swore that he would never ask Hidan out for breakfast ever again. And of course Hidan felt the same way. Waiting in the Starbucks cafe alone nowhere near enjoyable and he kept getting looks from the staff. Seriously, just because he was mumbling curses under his breath, it didn't mean that he was going to burn the place down. On the same note, _looking _like he wanted to murder didn't mean that he _was _a serial killer.

"What, un?" Deidara asked, frowning slightly when he noticed Hidan gaping at him.

"Danna?" he echoed slowly. "Never knew you were one of those who fucking worshipped him."

"Don't be stupid, un," Deidara said, rolling his eyes. "I just respect him."

"Respect him."

"Saw his essay. Was impressed, un," Deidara answered offhandedly.

"Saw his essay. Am I missing something here, blondie? When did you and that midget get so fucking chummy?" Hidan questioned, crossing his arms and not looking the least bit amused.

"Stupid, he didn't let me," Deidara said happily, enjoying the way Hidan was getting increasing annoyed and frustrated. Deidara relented soon enough though. Sure he had fun at the expense of others but not his friends. "I barged into the staff room and told a lecturer I was dying, un. When he went to get the nurse or whatever, I leafed through the stack of essays on his desk and read through Danna's."

"Blondie, come clean this fucking second. Are you a bloody stalker?" Hidan asked. He was joking of course but the overly dramatic voice and exaggerated look of horror was actually quite convincing.

"I just wanted to see if he was as good as they say, un," Deidara replied before sighing, "and he is. Better than me even. Possibly."

"He's _that_ good?" Hidan hadn't thought that Deidara was a genius when he first saw him (no one would). Honestly, Deidara looked more like a hobo than anything with his long, often unkempt hair, especially with his fringe covering the entire left side of his face. It certainly didn't help that the neatest state it was ever in was a _messy_ half ponytail.

"Un."

"And you're annoyed?" Hidan asked, raising an eyebrow. He was not able to keep the amusement out of his voice either.

"Not annoyed per se," Deidara replied with a smirk. "More intrigued than anything actually, un."

"Aww, blondie, can't your fucking pride take the fact that there's someone out there who might be actually better than you?" Hidan cooed before bursting out into merciless laughter at the pointed look on Deidara's face. "And look who's coming over?" Hidan proceeded to snigger.

"Danna, un," Deidara greeted happily, eyes sparkling with more than just mischief.

"Brat," Sasori replied in his usual lazy manner as he came to a stop in front of the pair. "Don't you have lecture now?"

Deidara immediately put his plan into action. "I'm too guilty to go after insulting the whole faculty," Deidara replied, trying to sound as guilty as possible, which Sasori didn't but of course.

"So why are you showing your face on campus?" he asked. He had wanted to sound curious just for the fun of it but it took too much effort. Which Deidara was not worth.

"Good point," Deidara said, laughing. Hidan rolled his eyes.

"How did someone like you get into med school?" Sasori questioned but he didn't sound particularly interested either. If anything, he was asking for the sake of asking.

"How could someone like me, much like you, not be able to get into med school, un?" Deidara retorted, his smile turning into a mirthful smirk, the same light dancing in his eyes. They were really alike in the sense of their academic ability. They were both the valedictorian of their respective schools and entered Tokyo University School of Medicine with the (same) highest mark ever in history.

"Point taken," Sasori deadpanned and started walking away. Unlike the blonde, he was not going to skip his lecture.

"Danna, you're leaving so soon, un?" Deidara asked, sounding somewhat sad, but Sasori could still _hear _him smiling.

"Unlike you, I have a sense of responsibility," Sasori replied swiftly without even bothering to turn around.

"See you!"

"Anyway, blondie, I have to go for lecture," Hidan informed him, "so see you later."

Deidara smiled and waved goodbye, only feeling slightly dispirited because now he would be alone and there really was nothing else to do. Anyway, it was not like he and Hidan skipped lectures on a daily basis anyway (what would be the point of attending university then?). They only did it when they feel that lectures would be really bored, like now. Deidara looked around the grounds and realised that it was mostly empty. Most people would be in lectures at this point in time. He might as well go home if he had nothing to do. Just as he stood up to leave, a voice called out to him.

"Skipping lectures, Iwa-san?"

"Iruka-sensei, un." Deidara greeted with a wide beam on his face. Iruka was one of his tutors and the nicest by far, and he seemed to be the only one who hasn't gotten annoyed at any of Deidara's antics yet. Maybe he just had a really high tolerance level. Currently, the older man looked more amused than anything at the prospect of Deidara skipping lecture.

"Heard about the ruckus you caused yesterday," Iruka told him, shaking his head slightly, but Deidara knew he was just pretending to be disappointed.

"News travel fast huh?" Deidara asked, chuckling lightly. "How's that guy? I didn't bruise his pride too badly, did I, un?"

"He's fine," Iruka replied pleasantly before taking on a more sinister tone and adopting a threatening face. "But the last I heard, he's carrying around a chainsaw and plotting your death, and he has a stack of voodoo dolls with your name written on them kept under his bed."

Deidara wrinkled his nose. "Freak much, un. But I'll be careful. Thanks for the warning though, un."

Iruka laughed. "Only you would react so calmly at the prospect of a psychopath after you."

"Do you hate him or something, un?" Deidara questioned, laughing at the face Iruka subsequently made. He looked like he had just eaten some really bitter medicine and couldn't find any water to wash the taste away.

"I mean he's a good student, but he asks too many "relevant" questions," Iruka answered, making air inverted marks and shuddering. "And he tries to kill me with his essays. He writes about two hundred pages each time with font 6. Seriously, 6!"

"Tough luck," Deidara said, shaking his head sympathetically. "I feel for you."

"It's good that you're so cheerful though," Iruka said, smiling albeit sadly. "I hope you remain this way. Not many stay in med school and continue to be so happy. In fact most of them come in like zombies."

"Even Danna, un?" Deidara asked, raising an eyebrow. Med school was difficult of course and even geniuses will have a hard time if they don't study, but he thought that Sasori would at least manage to have some free time for himself to relax or whatever.

"Danna?" Iruka asked, eyes widening considerably.

Deidara laughed out loud at his face, which was really quite comical. He looked like something out of a comedy cartoon.

"Sasori no Danna, un," Deidara replied.

"Mind if I ask why you're calling him that?"

"Nickname."

"Right… so anyway, he's a different kind of zombie. He mostly looks bored," Iruka replied. "Basically, they either look like zombie pandas with their black eyes or just zombies in a trance and Akasuna-san just looks bored. You're the only one who seems to be able to smile around here."

"Oh don't worry, I'll keep smiling," Deidara replied with a smirk. "I just brighten up the place, don't I?"

"Yes, yes, you do," Iruka conceded, raising his hands up. "Oh damn, I have to go," he said after glancing at the big tower clock behind Deidara. "See you around Iwa-san!"

Deidara smiled goodbye and continued on his way out of the campus as Iruka turned and ran off to wherever he had to be. Probably a tutorial. Deidara managed to make it all the way out of the school campus without bumping into anyone else that he knew. Taking a look at the overcast sky, he decided that he would walk anyway, despite it being a half hour walk to his apartment. The clouds would hold for that long at least.

The cool September wind was comforting as Deidara walked back home. His sweater provided just enough warmth for him, yet it was still thin enough that it was cooling. He loved autumn, especially when the weather was like this. Though people have an image of him constantly being surrounded by people, the truth was that he liked being alone, when he actually had time for himself. It was also the main reason why he decided to rent an apartment instead of staying at the dorms. If he could, he would go to the forest to take a walk at the break of every dawn but med school ate up more time he could possibly imagine and there was just no time to trek to the forest, even on a weekend. It didn't help that the nearest forest was four hours away.

_Something good is happening. _Deidara though as he made it just in time into his apartment before the rain started pouring.

Deidara's apartment was in one word: messy. Much like him actually. Things were organized in the sense that the clothes were in one pile and shoes in another. The state they were in, however, was a completely different story. Deidara actually liked being neat but he found that that was an impossible virtue for someone as lazy as him. He could spend one whole day packing (and he did, once) and things would somehow revert to their original messy state in a few days.

Overlooking the mess, it was actually quite a nice apartment. Dainty even. Since he was staying alone, he could not afford any apartment with more than two rooms, but his had everything he needed: two rooms, a kitchen and a living room. More than enough actually.

Deidara kicked his shoes off and they joined the pile beside the door. He then kicked the door closed. The floor was freezing cold, but Deidara didn't mind that much. It was to be expected after all. Winter was just around the corner, and the area he was living in was relatively colder since it was nearer to the sea.

He immediately made a beeline for the sofa and collapsed against it, relishing in the rhythmic sound of the rain splattering against the ground. He loved rainy days, and it was weird but he liked the thunder more than anything. The rumbling of the thunder, no matter how loud it was, always relaxed him. He had no idea why but he figured it must be because it worked as a sort of companion for him when he was lonely. And he did get lonely. So horribly lonely that he thought that he might die from it sometimes.

He needed to be around people, more for himself than anything. Because without people, he felt so insignificant and small and he hated feeling that way. It was so pathetic really, but he couldn't help it. The worst was that he didn't even really like being around people in the first place. Paradoxical, yes, but he always felt that that word described him the best anyway.

So maybe it wasn't the best of idea to have an apartment all to himself, since the feeling of loneliness consumed him more often than not, seeping into his skin and becoming a part of him. Then his heart would start feeling so cold and numb that no matter how many jackets or blankets he throws over himself, he still wouldn't feel warm. Sometimes it hurt so bad that he felt like he was drowning in ice.

The strike of the thunder shook him out of the state he was in and he immediately shook his head to rid himself of those negative thoughts. Deidara dragged himself off the couch and headed to his room instead. He immediately lay down on his bed and sank into its softness. Letting out a pleased sigh, he turned on his side and closed his eyes. The best way to escape those overwhelming feelings was to sleep so that he wouldn't have to think about them. And when he didn't think, they couldn't reach him.

**-VvVv-**

Sasori growled lowly as he watched the rain slam viciously against the window pane. Really, he liked the rain and all but it just had to come on the one day he decided not to drive his car. And it looked like it wasn't going to stop anytime soon either, meaning he could either run to the subway and risk getting drenched to the bone or wait until the rain subsided which was going to take at least two hours. He hated either option, because he hated being so wet that his clothes stick to his body like a second skin, and he just hated the entire concept of waiting.

"Damn the rain," Kakuzu cured and Sasori was pleased to note that he wasn't the one agitated by the sudden downpour. "I'm going to have to spend money on a cab."

"Do you have to be somewhere?" Sasori asked, turning to his friend who was currently cursing the rain for all it was worth. It took a while before he answered, much to the annoyance of the redhead. Waiting was still waiting, even if it was only for one second.

"I have a wedding to attend," Kakazu replied before making a face. "Which means even more money being spent."

Kakazu was a junior as well, but he was in the accounting faculty. It was actually rather befitting of him actually, seeing as how he would marry money if he could. Sasori honestly wouldn't be surprised if Kakuzu would fight to legalize it, except that that would cost money so it was unlikely that he would do it.

"You could skip the wedding," Sasori suggested. He had nothing against weddings, but he was sure that whatever monetary present Kakuzu gave the couple would definitely be handed over with a curse. A strong one at that.

"I could," Kakuzu growled. "But I can't, because I have a bet with Itachi that costs fifty thousand yen."

"Itachi's being generous," Sasori commented, feeling rather surprised that the Uchiha would be willing to give so much money. It was, after all, a well-known fact among their group of friends that Kakuzu never lost a bet, especially if money was involved.

"All in the name of torture," Itachi said curtly as he took a seat beside Sasori, to which Kakuzu glared. Itachi just offered him a lazy smirk in return. "You could always back out now."

"Hell no," Kakuzu snapped as he stood up, the chair scrapping rather loudly against the floor, attracting more attention than Sasori or Itachi would like. "Just prepare the cash, Uchiha." With that, the accountancy major stormed off, leaving behind two very amused men.

"Seriously, how is he even going to survive sitting through the wedding?" Sasori questioned.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Itachi replied dryly. "So what are you going to do now?" he made a vague gesture to the rain.

"I would go home, except that I don't have my car with me."

"Come on," Itachi said, standing up.

"This is why you're my friend," Sasori replied as he followed Itachi, feeling much better ever since the rain started.

The car ride was silent, which was to be expected since neither Sasori nor Itachi was much of a talker. Sasori was staring out of the window, seemingly mesmerized by the rain droplets while Itachi was looking straight ahead at the traffic. There was no need for conversation. They liked silence. In fact, so did Kakuzu and Kisame. Even Zetsu was quiet, except when he was arguing with himself. All in all, they were a really silent group. It was no wonder that people didn't dare approach them; something which they were all immensely grateful for. Hanging out together was one thing, socializing was another and not a single one of them liked that idea very much. They were all the friends they needed.

Without meaning to, Sasori found his mind drifting to the blonde and in particular, one sentence he had said that day when he disrupted the presentation.

… _it's a reminder that I'm wasting my time in med school__…_

The brat probably said it as a way to express himself or maybe just to annoy the hell out of the other students, but Sasori felt so much more from hearing that line. It wasn't just plain irritation he felt. Those words tugged at his heart. He had been in med school for two years already and he was starting his third. On top of that, he was going to start his internship soon (he was just informed today), because his professors all felt that he was ready for the real world. It was all every medical student could ever wish for.

Chances like this don't come around often and they only happen once in a blue moon. So Sasori would be happy, except that he never really wanted to do medicine. He was not even the least bit interested in it. The only reason he was in med school in the first place was because of his grandmother – Chiyo.

Chiyo was a great surgeon. A great neurosurgeon. People would fly from all over the world to see her for treatment. More often than not, she was their last hope and that was what made her so great. She would be their last hope and she would heal them. Most of them anyway. Some were too terminal that only a miracle could save them. Since Sasori's parents had died when he was young, he was the only one who could carry on her legacy and she made sure of that, drilling it into his head ever since he was young, until all he had ever known was to be a neurosurgeon just like her.

He hadn't mind in the slightest when he was younger and when Chiyo meant the entire world to him. All he wanted to do was to please her and make her proud of him. Even now he still had those feelings of wanting to be the person that she wanted him to be, but she wasn't his everything anymore. He had found something else to live for, but he couldn't just drop medicine. Not when he had been working for it his entire life. Not when Chiyo still expected so much from him. Not when he was just so _damn talented _at it.

Of course, Sasori would most probably excel at whatever he wanted to do, but his skill in medicine was almost like a gift. In theory anyway. The real test would start when he began his internship, but everyone had high hopes for him anyway. How could they not? He was the genius Akasuna Sasori and you know what? – he was the grandson of _The Chiyo. _And that basically sealed his fate.

"What are you thinking about?" Itachi asked. He usually didn't pry but that look on Sasori face told him that he was thinking about his grandmother again, and from their years of friendship, he knew that that was never good. Sasori never actually answered though, but it didn't mean that Itachi was going to stop asking.

"Nothing," Sasori replied immediately, because he hated making people wait as much as he hated waiting. The answer was as expected of course.

Itachi felt like he should say something, maybe pry for one, but he didn't know what to say and that would be awfully uncharacteristic of him. Besides, Sasori was particularly sensitive when it came to his grandmother and anything said about his studies with regards to her would set him off, something which Itachi did not want to do. In the end, like always, he just nodded.

"Could you drop me at Chiyo-baasan's house?" Sasori asked.

Itachi gave a terse nod but said nothing else.

"Do you need me to wait for you or something?" Itachi asked when Sasori got off at his destination. He took a look at the sky. It was still drizzling but it was a light one and the sun was already peeking out from behind the whitening clouds.

"It's fine," Sasori replied. He would much rather be alone after talking to his grandmother anyway. "Thanks for the ride."

"Welcome," Itachi said. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye."

Sasori waited till Itachi drove off before turning around and facing the building which Chiyo resided at. It was an expensive place. Take one glance at the decorative and exquisite exterior and that much would be apparent. It was practically a five star hotel. Taking a deep breath, Sasori entered the building. The inside was as impressive if not more. The first floor was the lobby and the floor was covered with a carpet so soft that Sasori's feet sank in it. He didn't know why but he always felt that it resembled a bit too much to quicksand for his liking.

The security guard greeted him and he nodded back. He had been over enough times for the older man to recognize him. He pressed the button for the elevator and waited patiently for it, subconsciously wishing that it would take a longer time. He dreaded seeing his grandmother. He loved her (of course he did, she was his only family left), but she was overbearing.

The elevator arrived quicker than he had expected and he walked inside. Swiping the card over the scanner, he waited to be taken to the topmost floor which was Chiyo's apartment. In what felt like a few seconds, the elevator opened to reveal Chiyo's home. It was as neat as ever, with everything organized in a systematic manner, much like his own apartment.

_Genes_, he thought wryly.

"Chiyo-baasan?" he called out.

"I'm in the study, Sasori," she replied, her voice sounding distant. After Chiyo had retired from being a doctor, she became a professor and had been Sasori's professor up until last year till she had decided to take a break. It was only going to be for half a year but Sasori was really happy nonetheless. Chiyo being his professor was just too pressurizing. He had never failed to achieve the best mark of course but the nervousness and anxiety was always there. Not that he didn't feel the same way now. All the other professors knew Chiyo and they would most definitely update her about his performance. It was just less nerve wrecking when she wasn't the one marking his essays.

"Chiyo-baasan," he greeted as he stood at the slightly ajar door. She motioned for him to come in and he did, moving so that he stood in front of her desk.

"I heard that you topped the most recent test again," she said, beaming proudly as Sasori forced himself to smile. The only time he ever tried.

"Of course," he replied. "And I have some good news too."

"What is it?" she asked, looking rather skeptical but curious nonetheless.

"I was offered an internship," Sasori relayed, watching as Chiyo's smile grew impossibly wide. "I'm starting next month."

"That's excellent, Sasori!" Chiyo exclaimed, clasping her hands together. "I always knew that you could do it! Let me guess. You were the only one, right? Juniors don't usually have this opportunity, do they?"

"No, I guess not," Sasori replied, trying to maintain his smile which he hoped was as happy as she would like it to be. Funny how she was over the moon at the prospect of him having a medical internship when she had been a doctor for more than half her life.

"Excellent, excellent," she said, beaming brightly. "I guess I'll have to go back early to oversee your education then."

"Yes, that would be good," Sasori answered even though he really wanted to convince her otherwise. Truth be told, he had come here to tell her in hopes that she would decide to take a longer break, not go back to monitor him. No such luck.

"Right, I'll have to make preparations then," she told him. He took this as a cue to leave.

"I'll visit again sometime soon then, Chiyo-baasan," he said before nodding politely and walking out of the room and the house. He calmly exited the building, nodding at the security guard as well. Once he was out, he let out a huge sigh.

Life never looked bleaker.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys! I'm back with a new chapter. :D Thanks for all the reviews for the previous chapter! They were really encouraging and motivating. Do keep reviewing. ^^ Currently, I'm trying to update this once a week, but there won't be any fixed day (most probably Friday though). XD

Also, I'm terribly sorry that the summary keeps changing. I can't seem to get it right! D: Please continue reading though. The plot hasn't changed at all. ^^ Thanks!

* * *

_Disgusting, _was the first thing Deidara thought when he woke up later that day, or rather evening. The sun was starting its descent soon, and it was still raining, just that it had dwindled down to a drizzle by then. It annoyed Deidara that he had actually slept for so long. A glance to the clock told him that 'so long' was roughly four hours.

Deidara hated sleep, in all entity of the word. Yes, sleep was necessary but he felt that it was such a waste of time, especially _extra_ sleep. Life was transient enough as it is; there was no need to take any measures to shorten it some more, which was why the blonde was so sickened right now. Basically, he had wasted the day away and he felt like crap. Too much sleep or extra sleep always did that to him, no matter how much he needed it. Rather than refreshed, he felt sick and drowsy more than anything.

Heaving a sigh, he managed to drag himself out of his bed. He was about to head to the bathroom to wash up but he noticed his cell phone blinking, indicating a call. His initial reaction was to ignore it but he changed his mind when he saw that it was Hidan.

"What, un?"

"BLONDIE, I CALLED YOU TEN FUCKING TIMES! ABOUT BLOODY TIME YOU ANSWERED!" Hidan raged at the other end. Loudly. Deidara had to hold the phone away from his ear in case Hidan did some serious damage to his ear drum. Deidara could just imagine the amount of looks the albino must be getting now and tried really hard not to laugh, because that would only serve to enrage the albino further. Not that that wouldn't be funny.

"Sorry, Hidan, un," Deidara replied but he sounded more amused than anything. Hidan probably picked up on that because he spent the next five minutes or so hurling obscenities at him. When he was done, ending with "and you damned motherfucker will be bloody condemned by Jashin for the rest of your screwed up and pathetic little life", Deidara was sure he could write a book on every curse word ever invented and how they can be used.

"Done, un?" Deidara asked, sniggering a bit when Hidan muttered something under his breath.

"What took you so damn long?" Hidan snapped in response.

"I was asleep."

"Fuck, blondie. I would love to fucking get some shut eyes."

Deidara really didn't mind exchanging places with Hidan if that was what the slightly older guy really wanted. Hidan could have his four hours of sleep and he could have Hidan's four hours of free time, awake. Honestly, he didn't know what he would actually do with that time, but at least it wouldn't be wasted on sleeping.

_Yeah, just wasted on something else._

"So what do you want, un?" he asked, sighing silently, pushing that thought out of his mind and locking it in the part of his brain that he never accessed.

"I'm bored, blonde," Hidan declared. Deidara waited for him to elaborate but his friend stayed silent.

"So what do you want me to do, un?" Deidara questioned, frowning slightly. He hoped that Hidan didn't ask him to go with him to pray to Jashin or whatever. The last thing he wanted to do on a Friday night was worship some God he didn't believe in.

"Dude, we're fucking friends right? Fucking best friends?" Hidan asked in a matter-of-fact voice. In fact he sounded like he was talking to a three-year-old, save the language.

"Uh huh," Deidara replied, not very sure where this conversation was going.

"So let's hang out," Hidan replied. Deidara could just see him rolling his eyes and wondering why he made the blonde his best friend. "I'll meet you at the park near your house."

It was phrased as a statement of course, but Deidara could hear the questioning tone in Hidan's voice. He knew that the Jashinist wouldn't mind if he said no (after all, they had only known each other for about a month), and that he sure as hell wouldn't force him to go out but despite everything, it was obvious that he wanted him to. Because he sounded really bored. Deidara wanted to reject him though. Sure, he liked being in the company of people (when he had to be) but there was just something that always held him back from overly interacting with people, let alone opening up to them.

He had hung out with Hidan before of course, but it was always during school hours or just after school, where he didn't have time to escape per se. It was different now though. He could spin up a tale on how he was busy and couldn't go out. Like how he had always done to other people in the past, best friend or not. He couldn't go on living like that though, always dodging the company of others. He knew that (had known that for a while actually) but the feeling of wanting to be alone always won out.

"Blondie, if you had fucking hung up on me, don't doubt for a second that I'll rush to your apartment and rip you from bloody limb to limb."

Hidan's voice snapped him out of his reverie and as usual, he was quick to respond.

"You don't know which floor I'm on."

"Yeah, the fucking alternative is me banging on everyone else's door, demanding that the motherfucker Iwa Deidara return a hundred million which he bloody borrowed but never fucking bothered to return. You'll totally get evicted."

Deidara really wanted to retort, but staying in his apartment any longer would make him lose all will to go out, though it was not like he had any in the first place. He was just convincing himself that he really wanted to socialise.

"I'll see you at the park in five minutes."

With that, he hung up, cutting off Hidan's spluttering. He didn't mind waiting. He just had to get out of the flat before he decided that meeting people was just a waste of time. He splashed some water onto his face and threw on a random shirt and jeans. In less than a minute, he was out of his house. He took the stairs instead of the elevator, because the waiting might make him turn back.

Once he was out of the building, he heaved a sigh of relieve and walked quickly to the park. He had forgotten how suffocating it was to be alone. Yet it was what he wanted. Letting out a groan, he tried to block out his thoughts. He hated himself sometimes, when he didn't know exactly what he wanted. He always ends up wanting two things which are the exact opposite, so whichever choice he made was bound to upset him in some way.

"You're here already?" Deidara asked in surprise when he saw Hidan sitting on one of the benches, chatting with Pein and Konan. "And so are they," he added slowly.

"I'm overwhelmed with joy at seeing you too," Pein replied in his usual emotionless voice while Konan waved happily.

"Hi Deidara!"

"Scared I wouldn't come, Hidan, un?" Deidara joked as he sat down beside Hidan. It was all good now. He didn't feel the dread at seeing his friends, or the urge to run. And thank God, he didn't feel like he hated them.

"Actually, they found me sitting here," Hidan answered before a wicked grin appeared on his face. "And guess what? The two fucking lovebirds here were on a _lovely _date. Sweet huh?"

"Real sweet, un," Deidara drawled, smiling at Pein and Konan sweetly, amused at the way Konan blushed a bright pink while Pein suddenly decided that looking at them was too much for his eyes. It was kind of cute how they were still so shy after dating for (close to) three years.

"Well, where do you two want to go?" Pein asked suddenly, noticing the way the two younger men exchang knowing smirks but choosing not to comment on it. Pein usually decided where they go, not that they minded. It was just that him asking them to choose was a first and the reason for it was quite hilarious. It was almost like him telling them not to talk about the date any further. Scratch that. It was exactly like him telling them not to talk about the date any further. Like hell the two would pass up on such an opportunity though. It was not every day the almighty Pein pleaded with people, no matter how indirect it was.

"Are you sure you two want to come with us, un? We would hate to intrude on your personal time, un," Deidara said in a worried tone, but the smirk on his face gave everything away.

"Yeah, bitches, we would totally understand if you two fuckers would rather go fuck – oh I mean spend some bloody quality time together," Hidan continued, looking on in delight as Konan turned so red that she looked like she was about to faint. Pein's face still looked as plain as ever but the slight twitching of his eyebrows was a clear indication of the limit of his patience.

As provocative as Deidara and Hidan were, they recognised danger when they saw it, especially when said danger came in the form of Pein killing them in their sleep, or anywhere really. They wisely changed topic.

"Right, un. So anyway, I have no idea where to go, so Hidan will decide, un," Deidara replied, smiling happily at the couple who looked relieved that the two were done with their teasing. Honestly, Deidara thought that that didn't even qualify as teasing (seriously, one line _each_ from him and Hidan) but he let it pass. Pein was a scary being. On second thought, so was Konan. The two of them combined was… yeah…

"Okay, let's go freaking drinking!" Hidan cheered and stood up before anyone could protest. They silently followed him, because only Jashin knows how furious Hidan would get if anyone tried to stop him from drinking. "But we're gonna have fucking to use your damned car, Pein. I know a fucking good bar but it's more than a half fucking hour walk from here. It'll only be ten bloody minutes by car though."

"Sure, my car's over there," Pein said, waving in the general direction of a nearby open car park. Besides, Hidan wasn't really asking.

However, instead of the expected ten minutes, they took fifteen minutes to arrive at the bar. The extra five minutes was due to the minor fight between Konan and Pein. The former had wanted to drive because she felt like it but the latter didn't want to let her because he was afraid that she would get them lost. Konan was infamous for being bad with directions. Eventually, Pein gave in though, because Konan threatened to ignore him for a week. Hidan almost murdered a few birds from the wait. Deidara simply busied himself with picking at the random things in Pein's car.

"Where do you have a drill in your car, un?" Deidara asked from the backseat. He lifted up said drill with a disturbed face while Hidan looked at the drill in fascination. Probably thinking that he could use it for one of his rituals.

"I was supposed to bring it to my cousin today but I forgot," Pein replied, rolling his eyes. What, did they think he was psychotic killer?

"Nope, just wondering, un," Deidara said defensively, placing the drill in the middle seat.

By the time they actually arrived at the bar, Hidan was royally pissed off. He had been deprived of alcohol for a whole week and he really needed a drink. He almost broke the door when he entered, the other three close behind.

"It's so fucking crowded!" Hidan shouted in irritation, though it was barely more than a whisper over the loud blare of the music.

"It's a Friday night, un," Deidara deadpanned, but Hidan ignored him as he pushed his way passed the mass of bodies which stood between them and the wretched bar counter which held his beloved drinks captive. The other three immediately followed him before the path he made became overridden with people again. Hidan was unbelievably fast. By the time they had settled in their seats, Hidan was already on his fourth shot of vodka.

"Dude, control yourself, un" Deidara said, laughing lightly as he watched Hidan drown another shot. He soon made a face though. "Please tell me you have a high tolerance level, un. I am so not dragging your sorry ass back to your apartment."

"Blondie, it's going to take more than five freakin' shots to get me fucking drunk and incapacitated," Hidan shot back, but he ordered a cocktail this time. Deidara ordered the same, while Pein and Konan both got a glass of brandy each.

"Wimps," Hidan insulted but no one paid him any heed.

"Oh Sasori! Itachi!" Konan called suddenly, almost causing Deidara and Hidan to spit their drink out. When the hell was she ever friends with them?

"Konan, Pein," Itachi greeted. "I see that you have some peculiar company tonight."

"Fuck off, un," Deidara said pleasantly before turning to Konan. "I'm not sure if I'm friends with you anymore."

She chuckled, ruffling his hair, something which he hated and she knew. He glared at her, but she kept on smiling. She was so lucky that Deidara actually liked her, or he might just kill her.

"Come on! The two of them are nice people! You'll get along just fine eventually," Konan comforted, while Hidan groaned.

"Probably, if your 'eventually' is my 'never', un," Deidara replied, turning back the red head instead. "Oh, hey, Danna!"

"Brat," Sasori replied, out of courtesy more than anything, even if he did doubt whether the blonde even deserved this amount of politeness. Still.

"You two are secretly close, aren't you?" Konan cooed happily, to which both Deidara and Sasori grimaced.

"Unlikely."

"No way, un."

"Well, anyway, you guys can bond while I go over there with Pein," Konan announced as she stood up and dragger her boyfriend to wherever 'there' was.

In the meantime, Hidan and Itachi had both sneaked away, leaving the two medical students together. Sasori sighed and sat down beside Deidara, much to the latter's surprise. It was not that Sasori wanted to; it was just that this was a better alternative to going back to where his – probably drunk - friends were. _Both_ of Zetsu's personalities became impossibly rude and obnoxious when the man was drunk, while Kakuzu would grumble non-stop about money, going as far as to give a lecture about it. Kisame would start talking about the _sea_. Sasori really didn't want to be near them right now.

"That's all you're drinking?" Sasori asked, raising an eyebrow sceptically. "I expected you to be more of a drinker."

"You should probably be dead soon if you keep this 'assuming things about people' thing up, un," Deidara retorted, smiling. "Danna."

"If what you're saying is right, I should have been dead about ten years ago," Sasori replied, rolling his eyes. "Brat."

"Anyway, acetaldehyde has rather unpleasant results. Basically, I would just really hate a hangover among other things, un," Deidara said, the smile never leaving his face.

"I know the effects of drinking and the science of it, thank you very much," Sasori replied curtly. "But since you apparently know so much, why not convince your friend over there to drink less?"

"Why not convince yours?" Deidara shot back quickly. "But anyway, to answer your question, I did, un. He threatened to sacrifice me to Jashin. Don't ask."

"Wasn't going to."

"Shota! Shota! Wake up!" a voice shouted, interrupting the banter between the two. They turned to the direction where the voice came from and saw a woman shaking an unconscious man frantically. A crowd was slowly gathering (as it always did when these kind of things happen) and there were some people whispering and pointing, while others merely looked on in disinterest. Deidara and Sasori exchanged glances before walking over.

"What's wrong?" Sasori asked immediately.

"Shota... Shota was knocked down... knocked down... by... by a _car _just now," the woman said hysterically in between sobs. "But he got up afterwards and was fine!"

"Move," Sasori ordered as he knelt down beside the unconscious body. The woman hesitated at first but eventually did as she was told, turning to Deidara with tearful eyes.

"Can you help him?"

"Call an ambulance, un," Deidara replied as he knelt beside Sasori. "Did he hit his head or something?"

"Yes, his head!"

Sasori immediately started feeling the man's head and he soon found a bump.

_Damn it. _

"Brat, he has a blood clot," Sasori said calmly, figuring the blonde would understand.

"Hidan! Get the fucking drill from the car!" Deidara shouted to his friend, who had decided to join the onlookers.

"The fuck -"

"Now, damn it!" Deidara snapped. Hidan scoffed but he turned and ran out of the bar, shoving people aside. Deidara turned to Sasori. "Tell them to turn on the proper lights, please."

"What the fuck are you thinking of?" Sasori asked, though he had a pretty good idea. "You're not experienced enough. Heck, you're a year one medical student."

"You do it then, un," Deidara replied in annoyance, brows furrowed together.

"We should wait for the ambulance," Sasori retorted, equally frustrated.

"To collect his corpse?" Deidara asked sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.

"They'll be collecting his corpse if you do something stupid," Sasori reasoned, watching anger flare in the younger man's eyes. This was the first time he had ever seen the blonde so serious and he definitely did not expect it.

Deidara was about to retort when the music stopped. The disco lights were subsequently switched off, replaced by the bight, white light. Deidara blinked, wondering who the kind soul was when he saw Konan giving him a peace sign and a soft smile. Pein was beside her, looking slightly worried but was otherwise his normal impassive self. Hidan ran back to them with the drill, passing it to Deidara. He did not look too happy about the whole thing, but he did look rather concerned as to what Deidara wanted to do with the tool.

"If you can't stand blood, lots of it, run, un," Deidara told the crowd, not bothering to ensure that those people actually listened to him.

He then proceeded to start drilling a hole in the man's skull. He vaguely registered the woman fainting and the screams of some people, but he couldn't care less. All his attention was focused on what he was doing. If he drilled into the skull too deeply, the man would be dead in an instant which defeated the purpose of why he even decided to make a hole in the man's skull in the first place. Slowly, he pushed the drill deeper into the skull, feeling and listening carefully. Honestly, it would help if the place was quiet but Deidara would make do with his situation. After what seemed to be eternity, blood started coming out, signaling that he was successful. Gently, he removed the drill and turned it off, dropping it onto the ground. He barely had time to say anything when a group of four paramedics rushed over. One of them took a look at the situation and his eyes widened in shock. They quickly placed the man - Shota - onto the stretcher and the other three carried him out. The last one approached Deidara.

"Wow, doctor, that was an awesome job! You saved the man's life," he told Deidara, voice laced with amazement before he held out a hand. "I'm Genma, by the way."

"I'm a first year medical student," Deidara replied swiftly, watching in amusement as Genma's face changed from shock to horrified to impressed in the span of five seconds. He eventually put his hand down – rather awkwardly – when he realised that Deidara wasn't going to shake it. "You are good," he managed to get out in the end.

"Thanks," Deidara answered tersely. "I'm going. People can be freaky when they stare." With that said, the man turned and walked briskly out of the bar before anyone else decided that they wanted to talk to him. Hidan followed close behind, shooting dark glares at anyone who even dared to look at them.

-** VvVvVvV **-

"Chiyo-san, you're back so soon?" Kakashi asked in surprise as he saw the old lady walking towards her office. "I was expecting you to take at least a year off."

"Well, I have to come back to help my grandson," Chiyo told the other professor, smiling lightly. "I'm glad that he has gotten such a good opportunity, so I have to ensure that he's fully prepared."

"Oh, yes, Sasori is really smart," Kakashi said, nodding his head. "He has the potential to become a great doctor. But, I take it that you didn't hear the news?"

"News?" Chiyo asked, baffled. What other pressing news was there, besides Sasori's internship?

Kakashi simply smiled.

"Guess who enrolled?"


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys! Thanks for all the support and the reviews for the last chapter. They made me really happy. ^^ Do keep on reviewing!

Another thing. Sorry for this being so late! I was down with a terrible flu and could only complete this today. D: I was initially going to post it on Friday but yeah, that didn't happen. Anyway, once again, sorry for the wait! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. ^^

* * *

"Blondie, what the shit just happened?" Hidan demanded once they were a good distance away from the bar. He had followed Deidara out on a whim, and along the way he wasn't so sure if his company was actually welcomed. However, Deidara didn't say anything or tell him to go away so he assumed it was okay. They had been walking for a good ten minutes before Hidan decided to spring the question.

"I saved a man's life, un," Deidara replied calmly, as if he didn't just drill a hole into a stranger's skull. In front of a large audience. In a pub. With a household drill. All by himself.

"Well, fuck," Hidan replied, not really knowing what else to say. "Wasn't that fucking dangerous?"

"Obviously, un," Deidara said, turning around to peer at Hidan curiously. "Dude, you do know that even operations conducted in a proper operation room have risks, right?"

"Why, fuck no, operations are always safe and successful," Hidan replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Fuck you."

"Yeah, thought so, un," Deidara said, laughing lightly and turning back around. "Do you want to have Starbucks?" he asked, noticing that there was one just in front of them.

"Why not?" Hidan said before smirking. "Let's pull an all-nighter here."

"Yeah, sure, un," Deidara answered immediately, even though he wasn't actually sure that he wanted to. He hadn't felt uncomfortable with Hidan at all for the entire span of time he had known him, which is actually saying something because his comfort of being around a certain person usually lasts for about a week. Two weeks at most. By then, he would usually only be able to spend a maximum of one hour alone with that person. More than that and he would feel suffocated and awkward.

Anyway, this would be the first time that he would spend an entire night with somebody. He had never gone for sleepovers because they just didn't appeal to him, and he wasn't that comfortable around people anyway.

"If we fall asleep, will they chase us out?" Hidan questioned as he glanced inside the shop. It was only half full, which was quite unusual but Deidara supposed that this Starbucks was considered out of the way. Most people wouldn't venture so far into this side street just to look for a cup of coffee since there were two bigger ones just along the main street.

"Don't worry," Deidara replied, smirking sideways at his friend. "I'll make sure to leave first thing in the morning if you fall asleep so people can mistake you for a hobo, like you have always wanted."

"Never fucking said I wanted to bloody experience being a damned hobo!" Hidan snapped as he pushed opened the door, making a jingling sound as he did so. "You're the one who looks like some Jashin forsaken hobo, Blondie."

"Dude, that's insulting!" Deidara said, punching Hidan's arm lightly. The other probably didn't feel it though, what with his muscles and all. "Anyway, what I mean is that I'm not dragging your sorry ass home, drunk or not."

Hidan ignored him as he ventured further into the café. In the end, they took the seat furthest away from the entrance. Sitting at the tables along the huge window where anyone who walked past could see them was not exactly their cup of tea. It didn't matter that only a couple of people would even walk past. The knowledge of it happening was the annoying thing. The table they chose was conveniently hidden behind a large plant as well, so they were away from the prying eyes of the staff and other patrons. Even if Hidan did fall asleep, no one would know. Deidara told that to Hidan who immediately glared at him.

"I'm going to get some coffee," Hidan announced, placing both hands on the table and pushing himself up. He smirked at the blonde. "I'll get you whatever I feel like getting you."

"Whatever, un," Deidara replied, waving his hand as Hidan stalked away. He looked between the leaves of the plant and stared at the other customers who were all chatting happily with their friends. They seemed to have a lot to talk about. A lot of happy things at that, judging by their smiles. It could have something to do with the fact that this was a Friday night too. As he switched his gaze to Hidan, he idly wondered if it was going to be a long night.

**-VvVvVv-**

Sasori prided himself on being indifferent to most things, impatience aside. Things just do not shock him the way it did other people, like his internship for example. He was happy when he received it of course, but the endorphin faded in a few hours, and he sure as hell was not surprised. Other people were though. They all came up to him to congratulate him and commented on how _stunningly amazing _it was that a third year student managed to ace such a prestigious internship. Of course there were a couple of seniors who were royally pissed off but they could go "fuck themselves" as Kisame put it.

Anyway, the point is that things never shock Sasori. After all, if things had a chance of happening (which is everything actually), they might. Sure, Deidara had just completed a successful surgery in front of him with absolutely zero proper medical equipment or instructions, but even so, Sasori found that he was just slightly stunned. Honestly, he had been prepared to see the man die before him (no he wasn't a pessimist, he was a pragmatist) and when the man didn't, and would probably live now thanks to the blonde, he was amazed that the 1% chance happened. That's all.

The thing that bothered him more was that Deidara definitely had skill. It was apparent from the success of the surgery, but Sasori could tell from the way he handled the drill as well. He knew exactly how much pressure to apply and exactly how deep to drill. And he was calm. He was totally composed even though he only had one attempt to get it right. If he had failed, the man would have been dead within the second. No questions asked. But that was only one of the consequences.

If he had failed, he would have been charged with murder and he would have been founded guilty. That was a given, because he did use a household drill and penetrated a man's skull with no medical certification. Even if it was obvious that he was trying to remove the blood clot from the man's brain, no one would have believed that a first year medical student had any chance at succeeding. Heck, they might even classify him as mentally unsound and send him off to an asylum to spend the rest of his life.

Deidara was either really confident, or he really wanted to save that man's life.

Sasori was annoyed that he himself actually thought that it was the first option. He hated not knowing things among many other stuff, and now he really wanted to know where Deidara had picked his skills up from. Being a genius was one thing (he would know obviously), knowing how to operate a highly dangerous surgery without prior practice (at least he assumed) was another.

Sure, he was probably one of the smartest people on earth but even he wouldn't be able to perform such a surgery so successfully at the first try and without any necessary equipment at that. In other words, it was actually quite clear that the younger medical student had performed this surgery before. Which brings him to his next question: who would allow such a young, inexperienced person to perform such a high-risk surgery?

"Sasori, are you okay?" It was Itachi. The black haired man was standing beside him, but when he arrived the redhead did not know. He was too lost in his own thoughts. Itachi must have noticed that, because despite not having any expression on his face, the slight twinge of concern in his voice was a dead giveaway.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sasori replied, brushing off his friend's worry and turning to head back to the rest of his friends. As he was making his way over, he noticed that the blood was already wiped off the floor and the disco lights had long been turned back on. Everyone had also returned to their own worlds. In spite of himself, Sasori smirked. People always moved on so easily, like there was nothing worth holding on to.

Without even asking, he grabbed Kisame's glass and drowned its contents, blocking out the protests from the blue haired male. He didn't like drinking but he really needed to get drunk tonight.

**-VvVvVv-**

"Oh fuck, I needa rush, Blondie. Jashin damned project meeting starts in ten minutes!" Hidan shouted, attracting the attention of the baristas at the counter. They all shot him glares of varying degrees. Some had been there since the night before and had witnessed the insane and loud laughter, along with lots of swearing (courtesy of Hidan), coming from the two college students and were currently very annoyed at said two. A few had just entered for the morning shift and were still too sleepy to care about the world.

Deidara ignored them and just watched Hidan frantically dump all his stuff into his bag with an amused smirk on his face. Thank God his lecture (damned weekend lecture) only started later in the morning. Hidan didn't even bother to say bye before he picked his bag up and rushed out of the café, cursing all the way. The albino actually looked anxious for once and the situation wouldn't have been all that humourous except that he left his wallet behind. Before Deidara could say anything though, he was already long gone.

"Did you spend the entire night here?"

Deidara looked up from Hidan's wallet to see Sasori taking a seat opposite him, a cup of hot coffee in hand. Honestly, Deidara was weirded out by this unusual display of openness by the redhead and he must have let it show on his face because Sasori was glaring at him.

"What, Brat?"

"Nothing, Danna, un," Deidara replied quickly, snatching his own Frappuccino off the table and taking a quick sip. "Never pegged you down as being the friendly, pro-active type, un."

"What was that discussion we had about assumptions last night?" Sasori asked, smiling smugly as the blonde rolled his eyes and continued sipping his drink. "Konan's outside."

"You're kidding, un," Deidara muttered, turning his head and hoping that the senior was nowhere to be seen. But she was there alright, standing outside with a bunch of girls Deidara didn't recognise. "She has friends."

"She's a social butterfly," Sasori said, staring disdainfully at Konan and her group of friends as well. "And those girls are not nice."

"Experience, un?" Deidara asked in amusement, watching as Sasori's expression grew progressively more annoyed.

"Bad ones."

"What did they do, un?" Deidara asked in interest, because really it was not everyday that Akasuna Sasori actually reacted to something.

"What they do, you mean. Anyway, they quote literature at me," Sasori said darkly. "Insulting ones. Knowing that I actually understand."

"Maybe that's why they do it, un," Deidara said, chuckling lightly. "As fun as it may be to insult people without them actually understanding, it's just as amusing to do it to someone who understands, un."

"Don't worry, Brat," Sasori replied, eyeing the blonde coolly. "I'll be sure to express your interest to them."

"I need another drink, un," Deidara said instead, joining his newly emptied cup to the ones on the table before looking at them sadly. "I'm so gonna be broke."

"Your own doing," Sasori told him before sighing. "You might want to wait."

Deidara was about to ask why when the bell went off, signaling the arrival of customers, or the arrival of the group of females to be exact. The blonde sighed and fell back against his chair, glaring slightly as the incessant chattering reached his ears. Konan's voice was more than detectable among the others, and Deidara wondered if she was as noisy as this when she was with Pein. A glance in Sasori's direction told him that the older man was wondering the exact same thing.

"They are so noisy," Sasori muttered, glaring at the wall instead of the creators of said noise.

"Why don't you just glare at them, un?" Deidara asked, turning back to look at Sasori who was currently looking at the wall as if he wanted to burn it down. He probably did.

"They can sense it, especially Konan," Sasori gritted out as he continued glaring at the wall.

"Really, Danna, un?" Deidara asked, trying hard not to laugh, because really, did Sasori really believe that? Though he wished he kept his mouth shut when the glare was redirected at him.

"Try it, Brat," Sasori snapped before adding hastily, "When I'm not around."

"Wow, Danna, you mean it's true?" Deidara asked. He did not mean to sound patronising, but it probably sounded that way, because the Akasuna glare stayed on him.

"It's _Konan_ and _her _friends," Sasori stressed slowly, as if it was the most simply concept on earth.

"Right, un," Deidara said, nodding his head slowly. "Right, it's Konan." Which means that whatever Sasori said was definitely true. Seriously, if you could tame Pein, you must have some supernatural power residing in you.

"Exactly."

The two waited in silence for the next ten minutes before the girls finally filed out of the Starbucks café, each with a drink in hand. It was amazing how they never ran out of things to say. They had talked the entire duration they were in the store and were still happily chatting away, showing no signs of stopping. More importantly though, Deidara swore he saw Konan smirk in their direction before she left.

"Did you see that, un?" he questioned Sasori who nodded. He sighed. "I'm getting my drink, un."

After a few minutes, Deidara came back with a scowl etched onto his face.

"I'm so kicking Hidan's ass, un," he proclaimed as he placed his cup onto the table.

"Why?" Sasori asked, for conversation's sake more than anything.

"I ordered a cup of Caffe Mocha, and that guy gave me a bloody hot chocolate, un. I argued with him but he refused to change it, insisting it was _Caffe Mocha_ when it was obviously not. Then I remembered that Hidan told the poor guy to fuck off last night along with other profanities which I refuse to regurgitate, un."

"You're nice," Sasori said, but they both knew he was being sarcastic. "Let's go. Lecture starts in half an hour."

"There's still time then, un," Deidara retorted.

"Goodbye," Sasori said and promptly stood up and left, ignoring the spluttering blonde. A few moments later, the sound of running footsteps reached his ears and a hand clasped onto his shoulder.

"Dude," Deidara panted. "Do you always walk this quickly?"

"It's my normal speed," Sasori replied, shrugging his hand off and continued on his way. He did slow down though, because he was feeling nice that day.

"Urgh, it's too damn sweet, un," Deidara complained, making a face at the cup. "He definitely added in more sugar."

"Throw it away then."

"It freaking cost me 410 yen, un!" Deidara growled.

"You sound like Kakuzu," Sasori said, smirking as he thought about all the things his friend would say to the suggestion of throwing something away. "Not a compliment."

"Right, he's that miser, un."

Sasori smirked in spite of himself. He knew that Kakuzu was infamous for being stingy and in love with money, as did the man himself, but no one had ever gone as far as to call him a miser before. He couldn't wait to tell his friend.

"Hold on, I'm gonna finish this," Deidara said. Sasori sighed as he waited (he was feeling really nice), and immediately regretted it. Sure, the other medical student only took about five seconds to drown the drink's entire content but it was _still _five seconds.

"Finally," Sasori muttered before walking off again.

"Danna, it was five seconds, un," Deidara protested, as he rushed to keep up again. Sasori was definitely walking faster.

"Please don't have a sugar rush now."

"I'm skipping that phase and going straight into depression."

"Good," Sasori said, glad that he was not the only one suffering. He had gotten drunk the previous night just like he had wanted to. Needless to say, the morning did not turn out as lovely as it should have been.

It was lucky that it was weekend and that the only lecture scheduled for the day was their combined lecture, because Sasori was sure that there would be _a lot _of stares if he were to walk into the school compound with Deidara. Just imagining it made his skin crawl. He was really glad that it was a weekend.

"It's a combined, un?" Deidara asked in surprise when Sasori walked into the same lecture hall as him. "I thought it was for freshmen only."

"Why would they split a weekened lecture into four?" Sasori asked, wondering not for the first time if Deidara was actually, really dumb and the only reason why he was a genius was because he was possessed more often than not. The blonde simply ignored him as he took a seat right next to Sasori who glared.

"Don't you have your own friends, Brat?" Sasori snarled.

"Danna, are you trying to tell me you saved these seats for your friends?" Deidara asked, smiling, knowing that he had already won. It was confirmed when Sasori sent him an icy gaze but turned his attention back to the front of the lecture hall. At first, he was glad that the lecturer was already there, but when he saw who the lecturer was, he almost fell out of his chair (one of the rare times he was actually shocked), but he didn't, because Akasuna Sasori did not do things like fall out of his chair. It did not matter that he could probably pull it off skillfully.

"Seriously," he breathed out before he realised that he was not the only one who uttered that particular word.

It took him another second to realise that _Deidara _was the other person. However, it seemed that the blonde had not heard him at all. His attention was all on the lecturer. Again, Sasori felt curiosity rise up within him. Why did Deidara, of all people, seem to know the lecturer personally? Before he had time to question him though, the lecturer started speaking.

"I know I said I was taking at least a year off, but I changed my mind. Now how have you people been?" Chiyo asked, a wide smile on her face.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter! As usual, thanks for all the reviews and encouragement. ^^ I have good news too! So the school holidays have started so I think I'll be able to update more often now. Yay! XD I hope you guys all enjoy this chapter as well and keep on reviewing. :D

* * *

"Never knew you were a professor here, un," Deidara said, approaching Chiyo as the rest of the students filed out of the lecture theatre to the bliss of the weekends. Well, maybe not so blissful because Chiyo had just set them a five thousand word essay which was due on the following Tuesday, but still.

"And here I was, thinking that you enrolled here because of me," Chiyo replied pleasantly before beaming widely. "I see you've met my grandson."

"Your grandson?" Deidara repeated, before turning around to be face to face with Sasori who nodded curtly. "Ah, figures."

"Figures?" Chiyo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The stubbornness, un," Deidara replied simply as Chiyo laughed while Sasori just continued looking stoic, though the flash of annoyance in his eyes was not missed by Deidara.

"How's your mother?" Chiyo asked suddenly as she turned around and started gathering the papers on the desk.

Deidara stiffened slightly, something which was not gone unnoticed by Sasori but he let it pass. He was not about to probe into something which was none of his business.

"She's fine. Thanks for asking, un," Deidara said before adding quickly, "right, I just remembered that I have to meet a friend to pass him a book. See you around, Chiyo-sensei, un."

"I have to pass a book to Kakuzu as well," Sasori said immediately. "See you later, Chiyo-baasan."

"Well, college is really busy I guess," Chiyo said as she waved them off, not even bothering to turn as she started on the arrangement of the files. "Now run along. I have work to do too."

The two nodded before they left the lecture theatre. They kept silent all the way until they were out and well away from the place.

"Where are you meeting Kakuzu?" Deidara asked once they stopped outside the school campus.

"Lie. Where are you meeting your friend?" Sasori asked in return, though he had a pretty good idea what Deidara's answer would be.

"Lie, un."

At that moment, Sasori was expecting Deidara to ask, to pry and ask why he wanted to get away from his grandmother, but the younger medical student just remained silent. Well, Deidara probably didn't want him to invade his privacy either, so Sasori just left it at that. They weren't all that close anyway.

"So where are you headed, un?" Deidara asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets and kicking at some pebbles.

"I have nowhere to be," Sasori replied and Deidara rolled his eyes.

"You couldn't be more direct than that, un," Deidara said with a final kick to the pebbles before he walked off. "I'm going to the town, un. If you're that bored, I don't mind you tagging along."

"Only because I have nothing better to do," Sasori said, easily catching up with the blonde so that they were walking side by side.

"You just want to be my company, Danna, un," Deidara said, laughing when he saw the slight frown on Sasori's face.

"You're the one who invited me, Brat."

"You accepted."

"Fair enough."

The walk to the subway station was silent, but it was far from uncomfortable. Usually, when Deidara had to walk with someone whom he wasn't familiar with, he would always feel the need to say something, because the silence was just so awkward that it made his skin tingle all over. But it was just different with Sasori. Maybe it was because it was so obvious that the redhead relished silence, or that they had nothing to talk about and they both knew that very well, but the silence was far from awkward. Not that it was the happy kind of comfortable either. It just felt right and normal to not be talking.

The subway ride was silent as well, not that they would be able to hear each other over the noise generated. While the train was mostly quiet on weekday mornings, it was the exact opposite on weekend afternoons. High school students talked like they owned the freaking train and Deidara would be glad to tell them to shut the hell up (Hidan would no doubt), but that would not do anyone any good so he kept his own mouth closed. A glance to his companion told him that Sasori wasn't all that happy with the situation either, if the look of irritation on his face was anything to go by.

When the train came to the halt at the station Deidara wanted to alight at, he was more than shocked when Sasori just exited it before he even told him anything. In fact, he was so stunned that he almost forgot to exit the train, and then he almost lost sight of the redhead. He had to run to catch up with Sasori who just smirked at him. Deidara almost punched him.

"How the hell did you know that I wanted to come here, un?" Deidara asked once they were out of the subway station. It was way too crowded to get a word down there.

"I felt like getting off at this station," Sasori replied, not even looking at Deidara as he continued walking. "I didn't know that you wanted to come here."

"Sweet as usual, Danna, un," Deidara deadpanned, rolling his eyes and trying to keep up with Sasori who was walking really quickly. "Where are you going anyway?"

"I don't know. I'm just walking."

Deidara actually had somewhere he wanted to go, but he knew that he wouldn't, couldn't go there. It was not like that place was illegal or anything of that sort. It was a proper establishment and in fact, it was his paradise. But that paradise was so hard to keep, and he had given up on it a long time ago anyway. Paradise was distracting. It distracted him from what he really needed to do. Med school. He really needed to do med school.

"I feel like going somewhere, un," Deidara told Sasori eventually anyway.

"Where?"

"If you stop in front of that shop, we'll go in, un," Deidara replied, rather smugly. The district was humongous and it practically hosted a hundred shops. In other words, it was unlikely that Sasori would choose the right shop. But if the redhead, by some weird twist of fate, did manage to end up at the right shop, Deidara decided that he would just go in. Well, he could blame it on fate. Or Sasori.

"Here," Sasori said, stopping suddenly, which caused Deidara to almost bump into him. His survival instinct prevented him from actually doing so. Who knew what Sasori would do? The man could hardly stand people touching him.

Deidara looked up at the store which Sasori had stopped in front of and the smile from his face was immediately wiped off his face. Really, the probability was definitely less than 1%, but Sasori actually managed to choose the one shop that he both longed for and dreaded to enter at the same time. Fate was screwing with him or something. Without saying anything else, he walked up to the door and pushed it open, entering a shop which he had painstakingly avoided for the past few years.

"An art store?" Sasori questioned but Deidara didn't hear him. He was somewhere between wonderment and pure amazement. It had been so long since he had entered an art store that he thought that he would have forgotten the exhilaration of actually being in one. But he was so wrong. The excitement and happiness which filled him as it always did in the past still appeared and nearly choked him. It was all he could do to not laugh out loud like a psychopath.

It was much quieter in the art store than it had been outside, with all the people chattering and laughing. Besides the cashier (who was busy reading a magazine), there was only one visible customer who was admiring some handicrafts on display. Deidara figured that there were probably more customers deeper in the shop, but he didn't really bother. His legs moved on their own accord and before he knew it, he was standing in front of the clay section.

He stared. Intently. That was all he could do really. If he touched any of them (which he really wanted to), it was all over. He would immediately cave and give in to his desires. But he couldn't do that now, not when he had worked so hard for _med school._ He was content to just look. For now.

He didn't know how long he stood there, just staring at the clay, but he finally tore his gaze away when he realised that he had forgotten all about Sasori. He turned to his left, where the entrance was, thinking that Sasori would be around there, checking out the displays or something while waiting for him. Then he remembered that Sasori hated waiting and decided that the older one had probably already left and was probably really annoyed at the blonde, which Deidara honestly didn't give a crap about at that moment. A look to his right, however, proved him totally wrong.

Sasori was there. But he wasn't waiting for Deidara (obviously). He was at the next section, the wood section. He was standing in front of a shelf of wood and he was staring at them, staring but not touching. Like Deidara had been with the clay, and the blonde picked up on that immediately.

"Danna?" Deidara tried.

"What, brat?" Sasori asked, turning away from the wood to look at the blonde.

It was frightening to look into Sasori's eyes when they looked the same as his. He immediately looked away, back to the clay.

"I think we should go, un," Deidara suggested.

Sasori didn't say anything, but the blonde knew that he agreed. Despite that, they both still stood there, staring at the clay and wood respectively for about a minute before Sasori finally wrenched his eyes away and started down the aisle. Deidara released a sigh and followed close behind.

"I'm leaving," Sasori announced once they were outside. Without another word, he walked away, merging into the crowd. Deidara took off in the other direction. Sasori didn't want to see him, and it was understandable, because he didn't want to see the redhead either.

It was ironic. Because he was always so miserably lonely, Deidara always thought that he would be over the moon if he could find someone with the same passion as him. So that they could actually be truly bonded over something, which was art in this case. But now that he has found that someone who was in the exactly same situation as him as well (as it would seem), he realised that he felt nothing more than despair.

It was not that he was depressed to find someone who liked, possibly love, art like he did. It was just plain depressing to finally find someone who shares that same interest only to have to completely reject that person because he had already given up on art. More than that though, it was horrible, horrible to know that someone was in the _exact same_ position as he was, because honestly it was the worst thing that could happen to him. He hated that anyone actually felt the same. Maybe Sasori didn't feel like it was the worst thing in the world, but the look in Sasori's eyes told Deidara that he did indeed feel that way. He felt as pained as Deidara did, and that was simply unbearable.

"I really hate this, un."

**-VvVvVv-**

Sasori didn't know where he was going. All he knew was that he wanted and needed to get away from the art store as soon as possible. And he needed to get away from the blonde as well, because the blonde currently reminded him of the art store. It was pathetic how easily his resolve crumbled.

He should have walked away when Deidara had entered the art store, but instead he had followed suit, because he himself had wanted to do so. He was blaming the blonde. He had passed by the art store many times and had always managed to convince himself to just move away from it. Heck, he didn't even spare it a glance, treated it like any other store. But now he had actually entered it. If Deidara hadn't entered the art store, he wouldn't have either. Yes, he was totally blaming Deidara.

Despite that, he couldn't deny that he felt more alive than he had felt in years. Sure, the burning desire to just buy some wood and rush home to start creating his puppets again was harsh and difficult to crush, but the joy at actually being able to see some wood again was worth it. At least until he had to deal with the constant thought of his art invading his mind and distracting him from studying.

"Sasori?"

The redhead was shook out of his musings and he found himself facing none other than his grandmother. Joy. A look around told him that he had somehow manage to walk into his grandmother's neighbourhood and right next to the supermarket where she did her groceries. Sometimes, he really hated the fact that he could walk so quickly.

"Chiyo-baasan," Sasori greeted instead, trying to sound calm as he walked over to her. "Are you doing your grocery shopping now?"

Sasori prayed that she would say no so that he could leave, but of course she just had to give an affirmative response. Sasori would really much rather just come up with an excuse to leave, but he felt that he had to help his grandmother.

"Didn't you have to meet Kakuzu though?" Chiyo asked, watching as Sasori take a basket.

"He couldn't make it," Sasori replied. "I'll pass the book to him tomorrow or on Monday."

"Ah, I see."

They walked into the supermarket and headed to the fruit section first. Chiyo loved fruits. It was the first thing she bought every time. She was absent-mindedly picking some apples and placing them into the basket when she suddenly mentioned Deidara.

"I was really happy to see Deidara you know."

Sasori nodded, rather annoyed at himself when he realised that he was actually interested. Though in his defence, Chiyo was his grandmother so that kind of made Deidara's relationship with her his business.

"I've never mentioned him to you before, have I?" Chiyo asked, looking through some pears now.

"No."

"He's a genius, that boy is," Chiyo said gleefully. "But of course you are too, dear."

Sasori knew that he shouldn't even be remotely annoyed, but he did. Sure, Deidara was a genius and was smart, and he knew that. He, of all people, would know that, but he just didn't like it that Chiyo was being all proud about Deidara. After all, he wasn't her grandson. Sasori was.

"He would make such a fine neurosurgeon," Chiyo continued rambling. "When he was just ten years old, I already knew that he would make it."

"You knew him when he was ten?" Sasori asked incredulously despite himself. Luckily, Chiyo didn't seem to notice. She was too lost in her own thoughts.

"Yes, he was always in the hospital because his mother has a heart condition and his father was always at work and couldn't take care of him," Chiyo answered. "You know, in fact, I have actually coached him on a few procedures myself."

Sasori suddenly felt sick.

"Chiyo-baasan," he interjected. "I'm sorry, but I have to go now. Kakuzu just sent me a message saying that he could meet me now."

"Right, go on then," Chiyo said, smiling widely. "Don't let me hold you back." She then sighed happily. "Oh, I just have such high expectations for that boy!"

"See you," Sasori said, forcing a smile before walking away.

_Iwa Deidara… who the hell are you?_


	6. Chapter 6

"No, un," Deidara said before he could stop himself. He hadn't meant to reject Konan in such an outright manner but his instincts got the better of him. Konan gave him a sad pout coupled with teary eyes while Hidan stared at him in astonishment. He knew that he never rejected a free meal but no way. Not tonight. He was looking forward to going home that day and spending the rest of the evening and night _alone_. Konan wasn't ruining that plan with a sudden dinner invitation. No bloody way.

"Come on," Konan whined, pitiful – convincing - look still in place. He thought that maybe this was how she got Pein to do anything she wanted, and if that didn't work, he knew that she was quite violent when she wanted to be. Despite advocating against violence.

"Free meal," Hidan stated simply as if it was the only reason needed to accept the invitation. Deidara supposed it was, but no.

"I don't care. You're coming," Konan said simply and walked off, completely expecting them to follow her. When they didn't, she turned around and gave them _that _glare. The one that even Pein was afraid of.

"Fine, un."

"It'll be fun," Hidan assured him, grinning. He was definitely thinking about what to eat already. Really nw. Deidara would think Hidan was a beggar with how ecstatic he is every time he gets a free meal. Yes, Deidara was happy most of the time too but he wasn't overflowing with joy like his best friend.

"Fun," Deidara echoed plainly when Konan opened the doors to a private room. They were in a fancy French restaurant in a five star hotel and Deidara had wanted to leave immediately when he caught a glimpse of the menu at the front door, but Hidan wasn't bothered by it at all. Instead, it seemed that the urge to eat at the place became stronger when he realised how expensive the food was. Konan must have known this, because she had a slight smirk on her face the entire time.

Pein was in the room of course (Deidara was starting to think that the two had every meal together), but he wasn't the only one. There were exactly six other people there, two whom he did not want to see, three whom he recognised by sight and one who was a complete stranger. Deidara was ready to bolt. And of course that was the moment Konan closed the door and happily dragged him and Hidan to the three empty seats.

Somehow, Deidara ended up next to Konan and directly opposite Sasori. One of the two people he didn't want to see. Joy. Really. He sighed and resigned himself to fate. There was no way Konan was going to let him leave now. Come to think of it, that was probably why she made him sit beside her.

"Isn't this great?" Konan gushed, beaming radiantly at the nine men seated around the table. Murmurs of assent went round and Konan's grin became impossibly wide. She didn't seem to realise that the agreements were more forced than anything. Pein thought her obliviousness was adorable really, but he also thought that it was slightly evil.

"Who's that fucking kid?" Hidan asked, glaring at the new face. That stupid ass had been _smiling _non-stop ever since the three had walked through the door and he showed no signs of stopping. If possible, his grin had become wider, wider than Konan's. Hidan was _this _close to punching him.

"Tobi is Tobi! He's a good boy!" the boy – Tobi – introduced himself cheerily with a huge wave.

"Why the heck is that bloody idiot invited to this damned dinner in the first place?" Hidan questioned, folding both arms and resting them behind his head, cold eyes fixed on Tobi who squirmed a bit under the look.

"Damned dinner?" Konan repeated, raising an eyebrow and smiling sardonically at the younger man. Of course she would pick up on that.

"Lovely dinner," Pein corrected instantly, shooting Hidan a scathing look. "He really means lovely dinner."

"Yeah, that's totally what I fucking meant," Hidan rushed to agree, hoping that the bomb which was Konan didn't detonate on him. She narrowed her eyes at him before turning back to her food.

"He's Itachi's cousin," Konan explained as if it was the most apparent thing in the world. Hidan's eyes widened as he looked back and forth between Itachi and Tobi.

"I fail to see the resemblance," he concluded in the end. Itachi and Tobi actually had the same shade of black for their hair and the same magenta red eyes, but with the way Itachi's hair was neatly tied back into a low ponytail versus the way Tobi's short hair was unkempt and sticking out in all directions, all physical resemblance was lost. Also, Itachi's eyes had a cold glaze in them, while Tobi's eyes seemed to reflect rays of sunshine. No one would be able to tell they're related.

"One's a prude and the other's annoying, un," Deidara said, rolling his eyes. "All the resemblance you need, un."

"Tobi's not annoying!" Tobi said, looking horrified and somewhat upset though his smile was still lingering on his face. It was a creepy mixture, but Deidara thought it looked appropriate on Tobi. He was creepy anyway. Who the hell referred to themselves in third person?

"Who invited him again?" Sasori asked at the same time, earning a glare from Deidara which he returned with cold eyes.

"I invited _everyone_," Konan snapped, drawing all the attention to her instead. She was visibly upset, and the others all felt a slight pinch of guilt. They all knew how much Konan hated quarrels and how excited she must have been to set this dinner up… though of course she could have mentioned exactly who was going to be present. "Now stop fighting like little kids over candy and have proper conversations like adults."

The five minutes after was unbearably quiet and the atmosphere was growing increasingly uncomfortable. Konan was still sulking and didn't seem to be intent on being the one to steer things in the cheerful direction. Even Tobi's smile had started slipping. As far as Kisame had known the boy (which was really long), the boy hardly ever stopped smiling so he knew that that was a bad sign. It really didn't help that Sasori and Deidara were glaring at each other as if they wanted to kill each other. They probably did. And as far as Kisame knew his friends, he knew that none of them was going to start talking any time soon, meaning he had to be the one to break the silence. As per usual.

"So, it seems that we all know Konan and Pein," he said and immediately wished he didn't when all nine sets of eyes landed on him. The trouble he gets himself into. He cleared his throat self-consciously and put his knife and fork down, realising a little belatedly that they could potentially be used as weapons against him. "I'm just saying that maybe we should introduce ourselves or something. I mean I have never officially met Deidara or Hidan before. And I'm sure that Kakuzu hasn't either."

He could feel death looming behind him when most of the looks turned to glares. Okay, so he would also kill whoever suggested introductions, but that was the only thing he could think of. And really, he only knew that Deidara was a genius from the grapevine. He knew that Hidan was the most vulgar person on campus, but that information was again from the grapevine. He didn't actually know either of them at all. Still. He was about to say 'forget it' when to his utmost relief, Konan clasped her hands together and smiled at Kisame as if Christmas had come early. Though that didn't stop the glares. If anything, they turned deadlier.

"Exactly, introduction time!" she chimed, eyes sparkling while the rest slowly turned their glares on her which she coolly countered. Their glares also earned them all a glare from Pein. Deidara thought that Konan looked like some sort of mad scientist but kept that comment to himself in case she really went psycho on him. "Everyone knows me, but I'll start anyway. So, I'm Konan and a fourth year at Tokyo University."

And so everyone took their turns to introduce themselves under Konan's threatening eyes. Pein had been a business major before he graduated and was Kisame's senior; the blue haired man was currently working towards a degree in aforementioned major. It was from his acquaintance with Kisame that Pein had gotten to know Sasori and the others. Naturally, Konan had then been introduced to them.

"Tobi's still in high school," Tobi chirped, looking round the table once. He was the last to go and somewhere in the middle of the introductions, his smile had become as bright as the sun again, much to Hidan's dismay. "And he's going to enter medical school next year. Please take care of Tobi, senpai!" He shot his smile in Deidara's direction and the blonde frowned.

"Why are you calling me senpai?"

"Because senpai is in med school!"

"So is that prick over there," Deidara sneered, eyes sweeping over to Sasori.

"But Tobi likes senpai more!" Tobi answered enthusiastically, waving his arms in the air and trying to make a point. He almost hit Itachi in the face and received a glare. He was so lucky that Itachi was never violent. Though Tobi was most likely suicidal.

"Yeah, well, some people are hard to like, un," Deidara replied.

"Talking about yourself?" Sasori shot back. His patience had been wearing thin and now it was completely gone. He had been contented with just glaring.

"Unfortunately, no, un," Deidara said, eyes firmly fixed on the redhead. "I was talking about you actually."

"Shut up, the two of you," Konan commanded and the annoyance in her voice was as clear as day. The two fell silent, though they were still glaring at each other. "What the hell happened? I thought you two were friends already!"

"Sasori has spent the entire past week glaring at Deidara and insulting him whenever he saw him," Kakuzu provided, shrugging when Sasori's glare shifted to him instead. Sasori's glares often promised murder but Kakuzu was more than used to it, having been on its receiving end more times than he could count and still remaining alive aftereards.

"Bloody fucking same here with blondie," Hidan added as Deidara turned his glare to him as well. "What?" Hidan snapped. "I had to literally pull you away or you wouldn't have stopped."

Kakuzu nodded in silent agreement. That was actually how he had met Hidan. He had seen Hidan just the previous day after school and they had spent a good one hour bitching about Sasori and Deidara. That was all they did though, so they weren't exactly considered friends. Still, he supposed it was a start.

From there, Pein took matters into his hands and banned any insulting which they all, some grudgingly, agreed to. But no insulting meant that Sasori and Deidara didn't have anything to say so they kept quiet for the rest of dinner. Hidan was allowed to talk, because cursing didn't have the same connotations as insulting, or so he argued. Pein gave in. For the life of him, Hidan couldn't – even if he tried - say anything without cursing.

No insulting also meant that Deidara and Sasori couldn't glare at each other, because that was the way it worked with Konan, and no one tried arguing with that. Konan would win hands down. They then busied themselves with their food. They couldn't look up since they were directly opposite each other, and while Konan was content that the others were all talking (surprisingly) happily, she didn't seem to care about the silence of the two of them. It was unusual since Konan loved to include everyone, but no one said anything.

Finally, the dinner ended. Peacefully. And that naturally encouraged Konan and made her think that this dinner was an excellent idea. A perfect idea. The first part of the dinner was all wiped from her mind as she beamed at the men when their dishes were all cleared.

"Let's have dinner again next Friday," she suggested before anyone had the chance to leave the room. Well, it was supposed to be a suggestion but it was more like a demand, with her 'I dare you to challenge me' tone and eyes. Tobi agreed ardently, cheering and clapping. He even suggested meeting up before dinner time, but that idea was pushed aside when the rest, save Konan, started complaining about how busy Fridays were. Eventually, they all nodded, because Konan wouldn't take her eyes off them or let them leave otherwise. "See you all next week then!"

Tobi was the first to go, bouncing off merrily and chattering next to the other Uchiha, who looked like he was trying to restrain himself from murdering his cousin. Hidan said that he should just do them all a service and kill him already. Tobi gave a mega-watt smile and assured everyone that Itachi loved him too much to do that. After all, they were family. Itachi kept quiet, but Hidan could see that he was seriously contemplating the idea. He was about to tell that to Tobi but a look from Konan sealed his mouth. Really, Konan was the scariest person he had ever encountered and he has met _many _people who were considered terrifying. Himself included.

Kakuzu and Hidan ended up going off together when they discovered that they lived in the same direction and could share a cab. It was Hidan's idea actually. Kakuzu had vehemently refused initially because a cab was at least twice as expensive as taking the subway was. He only agreed when Hidan snapped and said that he would pay for eighty per cent of it so "just bloody agree already, you fucked up idiot". Kakuzu hadn't taken too kindly at being called a fucked up idiot but he supposed that that was Hidan's way of being affectionate. Deidara had left with them, but they had parted ways at the entrance, since the blonde lived in the other direction. Kisame and Zetsu stayed on campus so they were waiting to hitch a ride from Pein who had kindly offered. Sasori declined it, saying that he had somewhere he needed to be. No one asked where. They all knew that he wouldn't tell.

Sasori had just started to walk away from the group when Konan called his name. He wanted to ignore her but there was something in her voice that made him turn around. "Yes?"

Konan ran the short distance to him, so that she wouldn't have to shout, but more importantly so that the other two wouldn't hear. She knew how much Sasori hated people poking into his personal affairs and how much he would love to keep them private, but she also knew that she was about the only person who could get something out of him and get away with it unharmed.

"What's wrong with you and Deidara?"

"Nothing."

_Expected._ Konan sighed, while Sasori crossed his arms and stared at her. He really hated waiting.

"Look, I don't know what it is that happened between the two of you and I know that something _did_ happen even if you deny it and refuse to tell me," she said before Sasori had the time to do exactly what she said. He remained stoically silent but Konan could tell that he was becoming more annoyed. "Just fix it okay? I really like you, and I really like him too. You saw how dinner went just now. I think we could all be good friends if we wanted to."

Sasori couldn't deny that the dinner had gone well (way too well in his opinion), but there was the fact that he and Deidara hadn't said a single thing. He supposed Konan had taken that into account, which was why she was confronting him about it. But his problem with Deidara couldn't be resolved overnight. Honestly, he didn't even know why Deidara was so annoyed by him. He knew why _he_ was annoyed by the blonde, even hated him, but he had no clue as to why Deidara was so hostile. In retrospect, Deidara was probably as clueless as to why Sasori was behaving this way as well. The ironic thing was that this hatred of his had developed overnight. One thing he was (somehow) sure of was that the blonde's hatred had developed in one night as well.

"I'll do something," he promised Konan eventually, just to get her off his back. For the time being. She was sure to pester him about it again when she realised that the situation wasn't resolved. The blue haired girl smiled gratefully at him and for the first time Sasori realised how important this was to her. He wasn't sure why though. He was about to ask but a car horn sounded and they saw Pein's BMW waiting at the pick-up point. A queue was starting to form behind it and the driver in the second vehicle didn't look at all elated at the prospect of waiting. Sasori could totally relate.

"Thanks!" Konan said and gave Sasori a quick hug before she rushed off to the car, waving as she did so. Sasori watched the car drive past, and nodded when Kisame and Zetsu gave him a wave from the backseat. He waited till the car had disappeared into the main road before heading off. He didn't really have anywhere to be, but he wanted to be alone.

He glanced at his watch and watched the second hand move a few strokes before hitting the number twelve. It was exactly nine. Dinner had actually taken a whole 2 hours and a half. He hadn't expected it to last so long, even if it had felt like eternity in there. Still, it was too early to go home. If he went home now, he would spend the rest of the night working on his assignments and other some other internship stuff, which he really didn't feel like doing at the moment. In the end, he settled for walking around.

There was nothing interesting to see on the streets on Friday nights. Ever. Salarymen were mostly drunk out of their minds, while the lecherous ones would leer at any women unfortunate enough to cross their paths. High school students would be all around, talking and laughing out loud as they prowled the streets, free from clutches of the hellhole otherwise known as school. Office ladies would be in groups of twos or threes, sometimes more, and chattering non-stop, catching up on whatever gossip they had missed over the week. Everything was the same every week. The most prominent similarity was that it was always noisy. There was no moment of silence. Ever.

Of course it was also crowded. As Sasori ambled down the sidewalk, he was beginning to think that he had made the wrong choice. After the tenth person bumped into him, he was thoroughly regretting his decision. Going home where it was quiet and tranquil wasn't such a bad idea after all, even if all he had for company was papers. At least they didn't annoy him. Not much anyway.

Somehow, as fate would have it, Sasori found himself outside the art store. He almost stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, but that would have earned him more curses than he could be bothered to count. He hastily made his way over to the store and leant against the wall. And he felt more stupid than ever.

He had passed by this store so many times only to ignore its presence and continue on his way and now he was stopping at it. Completely of his own free will. Damn it. Sasori thought that he might have found another reason as to why he hated Deidara. He was about to walk away when a flash of familiar blonde hair caught his eye. He looked up into cerulean eyes which stared back into his own hazel ones.

_Seriously. _

Deidara looked away first and rolled his eyes before walking away, muttering something inaudible under his breath. Sasori had a good guess as to what it was. Probably 'fuck' or something, seeing how he was so chummy with Hidan. It certainly was the first word to cross his mind, and he usually didn't curse.

At that moment, his mind chose to materialise Konan's voice in his head.

_Just fix it okay?_

He cursed his own mind, and Konan. Really. He would not have bothered if it had been anyone else who had requested that of him. Honestly, even if it was Konan, he wouldn't have even tried to do anything. He could deal with her pestering him. If needed, he could always deal the 'internship is stressful' card. There was just something in Konan's voice that made him feel like he had to try. For whatever it was worth, Konan seemed to be more concerned (overly concerned) about this than him. Cursing himself one last time, he walked up to Deidara before he lost sight of the blonde in the mass of people.

"We need to talk."

Deidara stared at him for a few moments with calculating eyes. He knew that the blonde needed time to contemplate, but really, it was common knowledge that he hated waiting. Much less in the middle of a crowded sidewalk. Outside the art store. Seriously. For a second, Deidara looked as if he wanted to leave and just walk away but he didn't.

"Fine."

* * *

So, yay! I managed to update before Friday. XD The next chapter should be up pretty soon. ^^ Once again, thanks for all the reviews! Also, thanks to all those silent readers out there. :D I hope you guys are still enjoying the story!


	7. Chapter 7

The walk to wherever they were headed to was uncomfortable, a far cry from when they were last in the same situation. Deidara remembered it being a pleasant walk. To think that it had only been what, a week or so since that time? Obviously they hadn't been friends at that time, but the atmosphere was comforting and at the very least, they didn't hate each other. This walk felt like a walk to an execution site. Deidara was already regretting his decision to agree to have this talk.

But it would be a lie if he said he wasn't curious as to why Sasori suddenly hated him. Naturally, he knew why he hated the redhead, but he didn't know what the redhead's problem with him was. To be honest, he wouldn't have openly shown his hatred in the first place if Sasori hadn't started it. He would have acted like nothing was wrong, because truth to be told, he knew that his reason for hating the redhead wasn't even something Sasori could control.

It had been just like any other weekday on campus. Deidara was eating with Hidan in the cafeteria when they saw Sasori with Kakuzu. Deidara had every intention to ignore the two, but Hidan felt friendly for some weird, strange reason which Deidara still hasn't figured out and waved them over. The conversation started out fairly well, but it eventually descended into a verbal war between Deidara and Sasori and things just spiralled out of control from there. Hidan and Kakuzu hadn't even know what sparked off that first insult, and honestly Deidara himself couldn't remember. He only remembered his anger.

"Where are we going, un?" Deidara asked, making sure the annoyance was clear in his voice. And it apparently was, because he swore that Sasori almost turned around to bite his head off. But really, they have been walking for at least fifteen minutes already.

"Somewhere quiet," Sasori replied stiffly instead. Deidara rolled his eyes. He had already figured out that Sasori wasn't particularly keen on talking to him either, which left one conclusion really. Konan had somehow forced him into this. He can't see Sasori wanting to resolve this difference out of his own free will. Yeah, definitely coerced.

"Really, campus, un?" Deidara asked when the familiar building came into sight.

"Really, campus," Sasori answered, not sounding the least bit amused. "What is so wrong with the campus?"

"How are we even going to get in, un?" Deidara asked in disdain. He didn't fancy scaling walls, or attempting to pick locks for that matter (not that he couldn't). And it wouldn't be fun at all if the security alarms went off. Actually… come to think of it, it would be fun. If Hidan was around.

"Who do you think I am?" Sasori snapped.

Deidara made the right choice by biting back his retort. While there was hardly anyone around, a (probably loud) argument would definitely draw some attention. They weren't _that _far away from the main street yet.

When they finally reached the gate of the medical faculty, Deidara almost let out a sigh of relief. But he didn't, because Sasori looked as if he would murder anything that made any noise. And Deidara was sure that he was pretty high on his to-kill list at the moment. If Sasori wanted to, he could probably delude himself into thinking that Deidara did make some noise and kill him right then. And then claim it was self-defence.

Deidara was still wondering how the hell they were going to enter the campus when Sasori wordlessly pulled out his wallet and then a card from within it. Deidara didn't see the card, but he already knew what it was. When Sasori scanned it against the card reader and the gate flung open easily, his guess was confirmed. Sasori had possession of the entry card, which only professors were allowed to have. Deidara's only conclusion was that the school/ dean – whatever – really loved Sasori. Knowing Chiyo, she wouldn't have given hers to him, relative or not, and no other professor would either. Evidently, the school had issued one to him.

They picked a random empty classroom and entered it. Deidara never remembered the campus being so silent before. There was always some sort of noise which was mostly generated by the students. It felt strangely quiet and a little eerie, not that Deidara was scared or anything of the sort. In fact, he found himself actually relishing in this newfound silence. There was never a moment of complete tranquillity in the city, and while he was most definitely used to the din that came with the hustle and bustle of the living city, he most certainly didn't like it. Suddenly, he found himself wishing that he had rented a hut or something on the outskirts of the forest. Screw commuting to school on time.

"Konan told me to talk to you," Sasori said the moment he closed the door behind them. Deidara found it amazing that his impatience was still so prominent in such a situation. Well, at least that meant that that wouldn't be any more awkward silences. As much as Deidara liked silence in general, he didn't know how much more of _that _he could take.

"Yeah, figured that out, un," he replied, and decided to make life easier for Sasori. "What the hell is your problem with me then?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Sasori shot back, looking more than a little peeved that Deidara had asked the question first. Still, it meant that they were officially on the subject they should be on and no beating around the bushes was needed.

"Look," Deidara said in irritation, his own patience wearing thin. For heaven's sake, he wasn't the one who suggested having a talk. He found himself feeling resentment towards Konan. If she wanted them to make up so much, she could at least be the facilitator or something. Though she probably didn't come because she knew that they wouldn't say anything in front of her. "My problem with you is innate, un. You don't really have anything to do with it, okay? So you don't have to know, un."

"If I don't have anything to do with it, your actions are more than a little unreasonable, don't you think?" Sasori replied swiftly.

"Why, pray tell, what did I do to you then? I certainly don't remember. It seems that your actions are "more than a little unreasonable" too," Deidara quoted back, glaring at the redhead who somehow still looked more impassive than he probably felt, which made Deidara even angrier. Why was he the only one whose anger was so raw?

"And they are," Sasori admitted and though it wasn't obvious or even detectable in his expression or voice, Deidara just somehow knew that Sasori felt just a tad bit chagrined. Deidara's own anger ebbed away a little. Maybe they could have a proper talk after all.

"They're probably innate problems too, just like yours," Sasori said finally. He crossed to the other end of the room and stared out of the window which overlooked the campus lawn. Deidara went over to the row of desks and sat at one of them, somehow feeling more relaxed around the redhead than he had been in days. It was kind of humourous how their problems with each other sounded so similar. He would have laughed if he hadn't been so angry before. Their anger was still lingering in the air, a reminder that their problems are still problems if they aren't solved, and that they are still problems even if they were innate problems.

They were silent for a few minutes and Deidara couldn't help but wonder why Sasori was suddenly so miraculously patient. He was expecting to be asked to spill his problems about five minutes ago. He was about to say something when Sasori spoke.

"It's not jealousy," Sasori said, and while Deidara did not understand what the heck that meant, he realised that Sasori wasn't waiting for him to start first. He was simply gathering his thoughts. "What I'm going to say may sound like jealousy to you, but it isn't."

"Okay, un," Deidara replied, eyes drifting to the white board instead. From the tone of Sasori's voice, it was apparent that he hasn't told anyone about this before and Deidara just felt more comfortable not looking at him when he sounded like he was going to bare his soul.

"Being a neurosurgeon, a doctor, is not something that I wanted to do," Sasori started and Deidara almost interrupted him but he didn't. He would wait his turn; Sasori was the one who was anti-patience. "It was something forced onto me by Chiyo-baasan. Not literally of course but I supposed it could be considered so. My parents died when I was little, so my father, her son, obviously couldn't be a doctor anymore. She was a great neurosurgeon and my father had such a promising future and now that beautiful dream of hers was snatched away just like that. And she simply couldn't bear it I guess. Every day, she would lament it, how my father was excellent and how his death was in vain. She wouldn't stop saying it. So what was I supposed to do? It was obvious that she wanted me to replace my father. But she would never say it directly to me. So I pretended that I was interested in medicine, even made it my life."

Deidara wanted to laugh at that moment, because whatever Sasori just said was kind of related to why Deidara hated him so much. But he didn't know that yet, and Deidara couldn't say anything yet, because Sasori was obviously not done.

"So imagine my shock when I find out that instead of coaching me, she has been coaching you for years," Sasori continued, the venom in his voice more than apparent. If words were poison, Deidara would be dying an excruciatingly slow and unbearably painful death. The only positive thing, Deidara thought, was that Sasori wouldn't actually see the moment of his death, because he wouldn't be able to wait that long. "I'm talented. Everyone knows that and I know that. But we also all know that talent is but a factor in terms of medicine. There is no way anyone can complete a complicated surgery so successfully the first time without any guide."

"So you knew that someone had taught me that procedure before, un?" Deidara asked. Sasori hadn't specify any incident but he knew that Sasori was talking about the incident at the pub anyway. "And when you found out that it was your grandma, and I'm guessing she didn't teach you at all nor tell you about her teaching me, you started hating me, un. But that's not really it, right? It's the fact that she practically pushed all her hopes onto you, and you had no choice but to carry them as a burden on your back, giving up everything else, and then find out that it seems that she has placed her hopes somewhere else. I know it's not jealousy, un."

Sasori turned around, leaning his back against the window. When Deidara felt his eyes on him, he turned to look at him. He was expecting Sasori to look furious, or at least have flames dancing in his eyes, but no. Sasori looked as emotionless as ever. It was only because Deidara was looking in his eyes that he knew that Sasori wasn't the least bit angry.

"It's not jealousy," Sasori agreed, a small smile tugging at his lips in spite of himself.

"You're going to laugh when I tell you my problem," Deidara declared, turning his eyes back to the white board. Sasori's eyes were still on him, but it didn't feel uncomfortable anymore. It was surprising how it took one second for them reach this level of understanding. Especially when they were ready to kill each other just three minutes ago. "If you can laugh."

"Don't push it," Sasori warned but he didn't glare.

"I didn't want to be a doctor either, un. Never even considered it once in my life. And unlike you, I was literally forced to become a doctor, un. My mother has a heart disease, un. It's terminal and she'll die if she doesn't go for the operation. But she refused it, un. She would only do it on one condition. The condition was that I would be the one to operate, un. When thrown with something like that, I had to become a doctor, don't I? She's my _mother_." Deidara paused and Sasori didn't rush him, surprisingly. Maybe the guy wasn't so bad after all.

"Even so, I didn't have to like it," Deidara said and smirked slightly. "You should know, especially after what I said during that combined lecture."

…_it's a reminder that I'm wasting my time in med school…_

"I remember," Sasori said as the phrase immediately assaulted his head. "You weren't just being an annoying brat then."

"No, un. I was being honest, un," Deidara replied before laughing a little. "This is the funny part."

Sasori raised eyebrow and motioned for Deidara to continue. He hoped that the blonde wouldn't start laughing like a lunatic though his hopes weren't high.

"You were my role model, un. Not the normal role model where I look up to you and all that shit, un. You were supposed to remind me that I have to be like you. That someone like you exists. And this is the funny, ironic part, un. You were supposed to remind me that someone like you, very much a genius like me, but who loves medicine and takes medicine as seriously as his life because he wanted to help people, exists. And I had the talent too, so if I didn't use it, I'd be scum, un."

Deidara started laughing. He couldn't help himself. It seemed so stupid now that he thought about it. It was so ironic, and he thought that the only thing that prevailed in his life was paradoxes. Life just loved to throw random things at him.

"And I hate medicine," Sasori confessed, smiling despite himself (he was right about Deidara laughing like a lunatic after all) and ignoring the fact that Deidara had indirectly called him a 'scum' as well. He shook his head slightly before chuckling a little. "The irony."

"Yes, un," Deidara said, a little breathless from all the laughing. "And then I found out that this guy hates medicine. That was at the art store of course. And I got so mad at you, un. Now I don't even know why I'm in med school, un. My mother doesn't count. Its function as a reason declines every day."

"Innate problems," Sasori concluded.

"Innate problems," Deidara agreed before laughing out loud again. "This is absurd! Now I don't even know why I hated you, un."

"Tell me about it," Sasori replied, rolling his eyes. The whole situation seemed nothing more than a joke now. Sasori can't remember the last time he let something get to his head and then actually act on it. And to think that the first time he let his anger get to him was because of something so seemingly stupid. Though, despite everything, Sasori found that he was quite glad. Deidara was almost in the same situation as him.

"So anyway," the blonde said, staring pointedly at Sasori. "I totally dig cardio, so you have nothing to worry about, un."

"Unless I get into an accident and you have to operate on my heart in the middle of the road," Sasori retorted drily.

"I can do that successfully, un," Deidara replied confidently, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. "And maybe prove that people can be successful on first attempts."

"I'm sure, Brat," Sasori said, the nickname slipping out unconsciously. He was about to apologise, because while they might have reached this understanding, it didn't mean that they were friends. He was alright with the blonde now of course but he didn't know if Deidara was still angry.

"That's nostalgic, Danna, un," Deidara replied, smiling lightly at Sasori.

The redhead rolled his eyes and pushed himself off the window pane.

"Let's go. It's late."

"Impatient as always, un," Deidara chided playfully as he got up from the chair and pushed it back under the table.

"So hurry up."

"Hey, Danna, un," Deidara said as they walked out of the classroom. "What did you want to be?"

"And what about you?"

"An artist."

* * *

Woohoo! 3rd update this week! ^^ I think... XD

Thanks for all the reviews and support guys! They made me really happy. ^^ Please do keep reviewing. And thanks to silent readers too, if you exist. XD On a random note, I've been replying to reviews now because I have time, but I might be getting busier again (just realised the amount of homework I have) so I might take a while to reply. ^^

So this was the reveal of why they hated each other. I'm not sure if this was what you guys were expecting and I'm sorry if I disappointed anyone. D: Tell me what you thought about it. In any case, I hoped that you all enjoyed it! ^^


	8. Chapter 8

Deidara didn't feel good. In fact, he felt far from good. He felt horrible. He thought that maybe he would be over the moon (okay, not really, but at least a little happy) now knowing that there was someone out there who was in the same fucked up situation as him, but that obviously wasn't the case as he found out on Monday morning when he woke up and felt dread consuming every part of him.

_Shit._

He had spent most of the weekend – fine, all of the weekend – burying himself in his studies and finishing up all his assignments, some of which were not even due for another three weeks. Basically, he cleared everything. Anyway, that meant that he didn't have time to think, or allow any feelings to submerge. Yet, he stupidly thought that he was feeling normal.

He actually just hadn't had time to digest what had transpired between him and Sasori. That he practically, for some reason, told Sasori his entire life story. Sasori, whom he hated (though albeit for an odd reason) and whom he had only known for a month. He swore that college was doing weird things to him.

Deidara felt like punching the wall, or himself. He had survived so damn long keeping _that_ to himself. It's not as if it was some dark secret, but it was something he didn't want to deal with on a normal basis, if at all. Now, he would see Sasori every day (probably) and be reminded exactly why he was in this position. But he didn't feel annoyance at the older man this time, not even a speck of it. He was still wondering whether that was a good or bad sign.

Still. Would Sasori bring it up? Surely, he – them both actually – couldn't act as if nothing had happened after they practically bared their souls to each other and realised that hey your life is as horrible as mine if not worse.

He could just imagine how awkward it would be between the two of them. Not to mention they now had their weekly Friday night dinner. Honestly, Deidara didn't even know if Konan was serious about the entire but he would be a fool to take any chances with her and indirectly Pein. And Tobi. Gosh, with the way that kid was so excited about the weekly dinner, Deidara wouldn't be surprised if he actually haunted everyone down just to drag them out.

Anyway, that was beside the point.

Now he just felt like skipping school if only to avoid Sasori and postpone any awkward meetings which were sure to follow.

_Seriously._

Deidara let out a long groan. He hated skipping school. It may not seem that way but he had never skipped a day of school before and the first time he skipped lecture was during the first year of high school and that happened only _once_. He just decided to rebel more in college… or it could be Hidan's influence.

… yeah probably Hidan's influence.

Deidara stared at his phone in disdain when it started vibrating furiously on his table. Speak of the devil much.

"Yes Hidan?"

"Fuck blondie! Where the hell are you, you bastard?!"

Oh right. Breakfast with Hidan. Crap actually.

Deidara wondered how he always managed to land himself in this situation where he sits on his bed and allow himself to be verbally (and psychologically) abused by Hidan. This had better not turn into a weekly occurrence.

"Sorry, un," Deidara said once Hidan was finally done. "I'll buy you lunch."

That worked apparent because Hidan stayed silent and didn't start another torrent of curses.

"For the rest of the week."

Deidara really wanted to ask if Hidan was a beggar and if he only managed to get into college by threatening the dean with Jashin or whatever, but that would make Hidan rush over to his apartment and slice him apart and offering every last drop his blood to said god, so he didn't. Instead, he very kindly agreed and said that he would meet Hidan at the café in half an hour.

Seriously, college was doing very weird things to him.

* * *

Sasori found his attention drifting as Zetsu went on and on about some magical plant he had encountered on his forest trip over the weekend. Sasori was never interested in plants and knew next to nothing about them (and neither did Itachi, Kisame nor Kakuzu), but the plant lover still kept using the alien terminology.

Really, he couldn't blame them for not listening, though Sasori could see Itachi and Kisame trying to pay attention. Itachi, because he was just polite like that and, Kisame, because he knows that Zetsu always tries to listen to him talk about sharks.

Kakuzu obviously couldn't be bothered and definitely didn't care about Zetsu knowing since he was openly working out his budget. Again. For the tenth time.

It was impossible to tell if Sasori was paying any attention since his usual mask of indifference was in place, but these were his friends and they knew that he most certainly was _not _listening. Zetsu threw two of them dirty looks every now and then, but he would go back to flailing over the plant almost immediately, so the two of them could hardly care.

During times like these, Sasori usually wouldn't really be thinking about anything, just letting his mind wander to a place far away, somewhere up in the mountains and clouds. But this time it was different and as he expected, he began thinking about Deidara. He hadn't really had time to figure out their conversation.

His Saturday morning was spent on finishing his assignments set and doing some extra work, since he had less homework now because of the upcoming internship. He finished everything at nine at night and spend the next hour researching about Tokyo Hospital, the hospital he was attached to for his internship. Then he went to bed early after deciding that he would pay said hospital a visit just to take a look around.

The only time he thought about their conversation was before he fell asleep. He hadn't really reached a conclusion that night. All he figured out was that he was contented more than anything.

On Sunday, he went over to Tokyo Hospital as planned at seven in the morning. There was a chance that he wouldn't be allowed to have a tour of the place since he hadn't actually gotten any permission to do so, but the head of surgery was more than glad to allow him to when he had arrived and explained the purpose of his visit. Hyuuga-sensei had even gone as far as to grant him special permission to watch some surgeries from the gallery.

That trip took up most of the day, and while he was extremely gratified with the way things turned out and by the overall quality of the hospital itself, he was exhausted. By the time he was home and ready for bed, it was already midnight. In other words, he didn't think about Deidara or their conversation at all that night.

Now that he actually had time (seriously, Zetsu talking about his mystical like he wants to marry it isn't all that important), he could properly think it through. The most pressing question was what he was going to do with their relationship now?

Obviously, they didn't hate each other anymore, but they were barely friends. Maybe people become friends, close friends even, after a heart to heart conversation like that, but not Sasori. No matter what, he knew that he needed time in order to consider someone a friend. And he wasn't sure, but he thought that maybe the blonde was like that too.

"What are you guys talking about?" Konan asked casually as she took a seat beside Sasori.

Sasori immediately knew what she really wanted though. She wanted to know about the situation between him and Deidara, because as far as he was concern, Konan wasn't all that into plants either. Zetsu knew that of course, but that didn't stop him from telling Konan everything about his love. The older student was patient and nice enough to listen for about three minutes before she turned to Sasori instead.

"So?"

Zetsu pointedly glared at her before turning his attention back to Itachi and Kisame. They exchanged looks of dread which went unnoticed by Zetsu. Kakuzu saw it however and was chuckling heartily.

"So?" Konan pressed, slowly starting to glare at him.

"We talked and we're fine now," Sasori said, knowing that Konan wouldn't be happy with such a vague answer.

"And?"

Yeah.

"And we're fine," Sasori repeated. He wasn't about to tell Konan every single thing that had happened in their conversation.

"Hey fuckers!"

It didn't take a genius to figure out who had arrived. And naturally Deidara was there too, looking rather scruffy (not that he was even neat in the first place) but otherwise the same.

"Good morning to you too," Itachi replied calmly. Sasori knew the other man was dying to give Hidan a lecture. He couldn't stand vulgarities, and Hidan was the epitome of that.

"Danna, un," Deidara greeted and took a seat opposite Sasori who looked at Konan pointedly.

_Told you._

"Morning Brat."

It took Sasori all of one second to realise that it was deadly silent. Everyone had turned to look at them. Zetsu had even stopped talking about his plant. If Sasori had known that that would happen, he would have asked the blonde to come earlier.

"What happened?" Kisame asked the question that was on everyone's minds.

"Nothing, un," Deidara replied, rolling his eyes. Was it really such a big deal that they were civil again? In the one month they had known each other, at least three quarters of it were civil. Just because they were at each other's throats last week, it didn't mean that they would forever be trying to murder each other.

"You're talking," Kakuzu explained dramatically while the two rolled their eyes. Hidan nodded in agreement, for once lost for words. "When you wanted to kill each other a week ago."

"So we made up," Sasori replied.

"Fucking when?"

"After dinner," Sasori said before adding with a pointed glance in Konan's direction, "As instructed."

Itachi and Kisame exchanged knowing looks while Deidara scoffed at that.

"So it was Konan who asked you to settle it, un? I knew you weren't kind by nature," Deidara said, shaking his head in mock disappointment.

"And you are?" Sasori retorted.

"Now, now, boys," Konan interrupted, giving them both warning glares. "We don't want to start another fight."

Sasori was about to tell her that he didn't really mind another fight but he decided that he could do without Konan's glares and insults. He took one look round the table though and immediately knew that his friends weren't done questioning him. If Zetsu not resuming his talk about his beloved plant wasn't a big enough hint, he didn't know what was.

A glance at Deidara told him that the blonde also knew that they were going to be pestered for answers, and possibly the entire story, in about three seconds. Deidara gave him a look that screamed we need to get out of here. Sasori couldn't agree more, for once.

"We have to go for lectures," Sasori announced and promptly grabbed his bag and stalked away, Deidara on his heels.

They ignored the shouts from their friends - and the threats from Konan – and walked until they were a safe distance away from the cafeteria. After all, there was always a chance that the others would decide to follow, though Sasori highly doubted that. They were too lazy to move, and they would probably corner him during lunch anyway. He rolled his eyes at the thought.

"They're so gonna corner us during lunch, un," Deidara said.

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Sasori replied dryly.

"Let's skip lunch," Deidara suggested and Sasori nodded. Hidan would kill him later, mostly because he would have not bought him his lunch, but right now Deidara didn't really care. He would find some way to make up with the Literature student. Somehow.

It was then that Deidara realised that he was alone with Sasori, the very thing he had wanted to avoid since that morning. He groaned silently. He had been so intent on getting away from Konan that he hadn't realised the situation that he was going to put himself in. But he supposed it wasn't that bad. Sasori was the same as usual and he most definitely wasn't bringing up anything from the conversation. Still, the awkwardness lingering in the air was most unwelcomed.

"So about that talk we had…" Deidara started as Sasori turned to him and raise an eyebrow. He didn't really know what to say so he kept quiet.

"Spit it out, Brat," Sasori snapped in annoyance. Right, the redhead was impatient all the time.

"I don't know, un," Deidara said, trying not to laugh at the glare which he knew would come.

"We'll just be normal," Sasori said eventually. "We'll just not talk about it."

"So we pretend that it never happened, un?" Deidara asked. Fine, so he didn't like the fact that Sasori now knew why he was in med school, but that didn't mean that he wanted to act as if the conversation didn't take place. Seriously, it was not easy for him to tell Sasori about it.

"For a genius, you're a remarkable idiot," Sasori replied, leaning against a nearby tree.

Deidara shot him a glare which he ignored.

"I meant that we would just know, but not talk about it," Sasori clarified as realisation dawned onto the blonde. He had never felt like such an idiot before.

"Right, un."

"I don't know about you," Sasori continued. "But I don't think I want to reminded of it every day."

"Me neither, un," Deidara said as a smile forced its way on his lips. So Sasori felt the same way. But more than that, Sasori was actually being nice. He didn't really know the redhead but he knew him well enough to know that he was trying to make Deidara feel more comfortable and to make their relationship less awkward. After all, Sasori usually didn't talk so much. The effort was definitely appreciated.

Maybe trusting someone wouldn't be that bad.

"So, Danna, we can talk about it if we want to, un?" Deidara asked.

Their eyes met. Deidara didn't whether it was the right thing to do but at least he wanted Sasori to know that he knew fully well that he was offering the key of friendship.

"Sure, Brat."

* * *

Yay, new chappie! ^^ First of all, I want to apologise to you guys. I know I told some of you that I would be updating last Thursday but that obviously didn't happen, so I'm really sorry! Some things came up and my family decided to take another trip during the weekends so I didn't have time to write.

On another note, Envyyyy talked about the art is eternal vs art is fleeting argument between Sasori and Deidara, and it made me realise that some of you were maybe looking forward to that in this chapter. If you were, sorry that it's not here! I intend to write it in the next chapter though.

Lastly, I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review~! ^^


	9. Chapter 9

Hidan wasn't jealous. He was anything _but _jealous. That feeling didn't exist in his dictionary, and no one ever stirred such an unfamiliar feeling within him. Anger? Plenty of times. Jealousy? N-E-V-E-R. Never. He swore to Jashin that he wasn't, and now he had to sacrifice more of his blood because he lied.

You know what?

He was not going to offer more of his blood. He was going to offer more of that bloody blonde's blood. After all, it was all because of that bitch that he was experiencing this alien feeling. He really wanted to murder.

"Why do you look as if you want to murder someone?"

"Because I fucking do," Hidan snapped at Kakuzu and glared at him, making it really clear that he didn't want to be near anyone right now. Kakuzu has no in-built sense of danger though (it was long gone; he definitely spends too much time with Sasori) and took a seat beside Hidan.

"So _why _do you want to kill someone?" Kakuzu asked. Hidan continued glaring at the older man but he relented after realising that it wasn't going to work, nor was Kakuzu going to go away. And he would move but he found the place first damn it.

"I want to fucking kill that bitch Deidara," Hidan confessed before deciding to add, "and Sasori."

"Are you jealous?"

Hidan took the nearest rock and flung it at Kakuzu. The older man barely managed to throw an arm in front of his eyes to protect it. He stared disdainfully at the cut in his arm. If anybody else had thrown that rock, it would have been just a simple scratch which did not require any medical attention, but Hidan was the one who had thrown the rock, so the damage definitely needed some sort of medication. Damn. He didn't want to spend money on this.

… Maybe he'll get Sasori to steal supplies for him.

Also, if it had been anyone else who had thrown the rock, the other person would be immobilised and admiring the inside of an ambulance right now. Kakuzu was still trying to figure out why he wasn't even the slightest bit angry at Hidan. He felt nothing more than anything.

Crap. He was getting used to being abused.

_Note to self: definitely spending too much time with Sasori. _

… _which means that asshole owes me those medical supplies…_

"Does it hurt that fucking much, you pussy?" Hidan asked in annoyance. Kakuzu snapped out of his thoughts and wrenched his eyes away from the wound to look at the younger student.

"No."

Then he remembered what they were talking about.

"Do you like Deidara or something?"

Hidan spent the next ten minutes trying not to throw up and tossing every single curse word available in the world at Kakuzu. Then he spent the next twenty minutes doing it in different languages. Kakuzu never knew that there were so many languages in the world. And he was an atheist, but he felt the need to pray to some god after Hidan was done.

"Okay, you don't," Kakuzu concluded. It was the safest thing to say. He didn't want to be subjected to another round of verbal abuse.

But that didn't mean that he wasn't still curious.

"So why?"

Hidan glared at him but said nothing. It wasn't like he didn't want to tell Kakuzu; he would be more than happy to vent his feelings, because Hidan wasn't the type of person to keep his feelings to himself. He was a volcano. A very active one. A slight trigger would make him spew lava in all directions and destroy everything unfortunate enough to be in its way.

It was just that he never felt jealousy before, because he never felt the need to, never cared enough about anyone to feel jealous.

He hated that Deidara was spending so much time with Sasori. Sure, they were both medical students so that meant that they already had more in common than anyone else and they were both geniuses which also meant that it was more often than not difficult to understand what they were talking about. Hidan was no genius. Heck, he wasn't even smart. He actually did work hard to enrol into Tokyo University.

But that wasn't the point. He could deal with it if they were only talking about studies. Honestly, he wouldn't even care if they went to each other's houses every day to talk about medicine. No offense to them, but he hated science. All of it. But it was apparent enough to everyone that they weren't just talking about medicine.

They were talking about _art_.

Seriously. Hidan didn't even know that Deidara _liked _art, let alone know that the blonde had enough skill and knowledge about the damn thing to have an intellectual and sound argument with the redhead. He was Deidara's best friend damn it. He was supposed to know all the blonde's likes and dislikes. Now he didn't even know that Deidara practically loved art. But Sasori knew.

Talking about Sasori, it appeared that his friends didn't know that he had that particular interest either. Maybe he wasn't the only one who was upset.

"Why the fuck not?"

"You're jealous because he's all chummy with Sasori suddenly?" Kakuzu tried slowly, hoping that Hidan didn't erupt.

It took a while, but he eventually got a response.

"Deidara's _my _best friend."

* * *

"And you're the king of the world, un."

Sasori glared at Deidara. He liked the kid really, despite everything and all their misunderstandings and crap. They were similar and they both loved art. To Sasori, that was reason enough to like someone. But seriously, of everything, he never expected art to be the _centre_ of their conflict.

"It is illogical and unsound to think that art is fleeting," Sasori replied, rolling his eyes.

They were in the cafeteria waiting for the rest of the group to arrive. It was lunch time and lecture ended early for Sasori while Deidara's tutorial was cancelled.

"Now you're implying that I'm mentally unfit and should be sent to an asylum, un?" Deidara shot back.

"You inferred that yourself," Sasori retorted, feeling his patience running thin. Again. It had been that way for weeks now.

They would meet, strike up a nice conversation, drift to art and start arguing. Sasori wanted to talk and appreciate art, not have a fight about it.

"How can art be eternal?" Deidara snapped, glaring at Sasori. "Humans aren't even eternal, un. And the ones who think they are, are in the aforementioned happy house."

"Humans aren't art."

"And nature?"

Sasori glared.

"I'm talking about mad-made art, Brat."

"Since when was art limited to 'man-made', Danna, un?"

"Are you guys still going on about it?" Konan asked in amusement.

"Yes," they both replied curtly.

Konan thought it was kind of cute that they had these kind of arguments (art terminology aside), but more than anything, she was seriously happy for them. In all the time she had known Sasori, she had never seen him so passionate about something. It made him seem more human.

"Well, fuck," Hidan scoffed and dropped into the seat beside Deidara.

"Afternoon to you too, un. How was lecture?"

"Boring shit."

The rest of their group eventually arrived and Sasori and Deidara engaged in yet another heated argument. The others watched on in amusement. Ever since the two started these quarrels, it had become a source of entertainment for the others. Not for Hidan though. Without saying anything, he left quietly.

As soon as he was out of the cafeteria, Deidara halted the conversation.

"Sorry, Danna, but this is more important, un."

Sasori nodded and took a sip from his coffee. He didn't mind not arguing. Heck, he didn't even want to argue. Art is eternal. Fact. Art is fleeting. Crap. Period.

Deidara turned to Kakuzu.

"What's up with my best friend, un?"

Kakuzu stared at Deidara in shock. He was annoyed at the blonde previously because Deidara hadn't seemed to pick up on the fact that Hidan was upset. In fact, he had been planning to tell Hidan to ditch Deidara and find himself a new best friend. When Hidan left, Kakuzu was _this _close to punching Deidara. He definitely didn't expect this.

"Oh come on," Deidara said, rolling his in exasperation. "Did you think that I wouldn't realise that something's wrong with Hidan, un?"

"Then why don't you ask him yourself?" Kakuzu shot back.

"He wouldn't tell, un," Deidara said and sighed. "He's a selective volcano, and now he's a dormant volcano to me, because obviously I did something, un. So what did I do, un?"

"Shouldn't you know?" Kakuzu asked, raising an eyebrow. Honestly, he wouldn't know either if he were in the blonde's position but he thought that a best friend should, but he supposed that the two hadn't really known each other for a long enough time.

"I don't, un. So tell me, un," Deidara snapped. He felt guilty as hell for upsetting Hidan already. He wanted to rectify. Now.

"He's jealous that you're best friends with Sasori now."

"Stupid, un," Deidara said simply and stood up.

"You still have lecture," Konan reminded him.

"Screw lecture, un. Hidan's more important than that, un."

Hidan's punching bag lay in ruins on the floor. Now he had to get a new one. Damn.

"You're certainly angry."

Hidan felt his hair stand on its ends as he jumped and turned around, glaring accusingly at the offender.

"Fuck, blondie, don't freaking scare people like that," Hidan shouted in annoyance.

"I think you're being angry at the wrong thing, un," Deidara said simply as he made himself comfortable on Hidan's couch. "Do you remember answering the door?"

Hidan stared at his completely sealed door and stared at the blonde.

"You bitch. You fucking broke into my house," Hidan said in irritation, but he couldn't keep the hint of amusement out of his voice.

"Yeah, un."

"Fucking why?" Hidan might be slightly less annoyed now, but that didn't mean that he was going to forgive the blonde for anything. He didn't care that Deidara probably didn't do anything wrong.

"To give you this, un," Deidara said casually, fishing out a small bottle. Hidan couldn't really see what it was so he went over to take a look. Deidara passed the container and he stared at it. It contained a red liquid. About 700 millilitres.

Blood.

"What the fuck blondie?" Hidan asked, raising the bottle questioningly.

"My blood, you douche, un," Deidara said.

"700 millilitres is way too fucking much, you blithering idiot," Hidan scolded but even he couldn't keep the hint of concern out of his voice. Now that he looked at the blonde properly, he realised that the blonde was looking paler than usual, but the usual smirk was still on his face. It gave Hidan some comfort at least.

"No fucking one would help you bloody draw that much fucking blood," Hidan pointed out.

Deidara stared at Hidan like he was stupid.

"I'm a medical student, un."

Hidan felt like throwing the punching bag at him.

"Why do I need your fucking blood anyway?" Hidan snapped.

"You need to sacrifice my blood to your Jashin, un."

"In Jashin's name, why the fuck?"

"Because I'm your best friend, you bitch, un. For life."

* * *

"Deidara, I have good news for you!"

"Yes, Akasuna-sensei, un?" Deidara asked, raising an eyebrow as the old lady made her way towards their group's table.

"Hello Sasori," she said, smiling proudly at her grandson who nodded in return. She then turned to Deidara.

"You're joining Sasori for his internship."

_Joy._

* * *

Sorry that this is so late! I hope that you guys enjoy it! Please do review! ^^

And this is late as well, but Merry Christmas! :D


	10. Chapter 10

Sasori was mad at him, Deidara was quite sure. He was definitely seething and thinking up of the many ways in which he could kill Deidara painfully and torturously slowly. But he wouldn't risk getting his own hands dirty or getting caught by the police or Chiyo (whichever was worse really), so he was more likely thinking of a list of possible assassins. Heck, he was probably _friends_ with a bunch of assassins.

"I'm not angry you know," Sasori said and Deidara stopped in his tracks.

"You are so trying to make me let down my guard, un," Deidara said immediately.

Sasori rolled his eyes but did not stop to wait for the blonde. There was no way in hell he was going to risk even being a second late because Deidara realised that the sky was particularly blue and beautiful that day and thus decided to stare at it. Deidara, of course, realised that Sasori was as impatient as ever and quickened his pace to catch up with him.

"I am not," Sasori said eventually, though Deidara still eyed him sceptically.

"I freaking stole your spotlight again, metaphorically speaking, un," Deidara stated, because really he did and they both knew it. A freshman getting an internship offer? Never. If things like that ever happened (and they obviously did because Deidara now had an offer), Sasori should have been the first one to be offered such a chance.

"How petty do you think I am?" Sasori asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not being sarcastic. I'm really curious."

Deidara rolled his eyes. Sasori couldn't sound not sarcastic even if he tried.

"Dude, you wanted to murder me because you thought I was better than you," Deidara retorted.

"I did not think you were better than and for the record I never will."

"I didn't mean that literally, un!"

"I don't really care."

Deidara felt like killing Sasori at that moment, but the guilt was preventing him from executing said measure. Strange. Deidara never ever recalled feeling guilty about anything towards anyone. College was seriously screwing with him.

"Look, Brat, you want this internship as much as I want it and we both know how much that really is," Sasori started and only continued after Deidara nodded. "I don't hate you and honestly the other medical students in this faculty should hate us."

"You talk too much, un," Deidara replied simply but he gave Sasori a small smile anyway. "See you at break."

With that, Deidara walked off to his lecture, but not before turning around and telling Sasori that he was still on the lookout for possible assassins.

Sasori rolled his eyes, despite some fondness that crept into his heart.

_Brat._

* * *

"Is my fucking best friend's life in bloody danger?" Hidan asked Kakuzu. The accountancy major finally put down his calculator and stared at the albino seriously.

"I don't know."

"Fuck you!" Hidan cursed. "Don't you have fucking lecture?"

"Not now. Don't you?" Kakuzu shot back.

"Not now."

"Look, Sasori isn't some psychopath murderer," Kakuzu said, rolling his eyes and picking up his calculator again.

"Has your dim-witted brain forgotten last last week or something already?"

"I'm sure yours has," Kakuzu retorted. "Deidara wanted to kill Sasori too. Apparently you don't remember that."

Hidan growled at the older student but said nothing.

"Sasori has better things to do anyway."

"And apparently you bloody don't," Hidan snapped.

"Don't you have to study?" Kakuzu asked in exasperation when he realised that Hidan had no work or notes spread out on the table and that he was just glaring at Kakuzu.

"I'm a fucking genius at lit," Hidan retorted, though he did pull out a book to read in the end.

Kakuzu rolled his eyes again (he seemed to be doing that a lot these days), but he realised that he wasn't as angry as he usually would be. If anyone had interrupted him when he was doing his work, he would have shouted at them or something along those lines; he definitely would not have a conversation with them.

Conclusion: Hidan had a weird effect on him.

Kakuzu sighed. It was probably because they bonded while trying to stop Sasori and Deidara from murdering each other that he could tolerate Hidan so much. It was nice knowing that someone is, well was in this case, in the same situation as you.

* * *

Sasori knew for a fact that he really wasn't angry at Deidara, nor did he intend to kill him whatever the blonde believed. Still, it didn't mean that he was happy.

Sure, he was actually kind of glad that he could have some company during the internship. He was actually glad to have Deidara's company more than anything because no matter how much he treasured his friends, they just didn't understand him, and while Deidara certainly didn't completely understand him, he definitely did know him better than his friends. Well, not that Sasori would have minded going for the internship completely alone.

He was used to being alone more than anything, not that it was "weird" or "sad" or whatever. That happens when you spend almost all your life studying so hard so that you can secure yourself a seat in one of the most difficult faculty to get in in the best university in the country. Being a genius helped but that also meant that he always wanted to know more.

Anyway, despite everything, he was not happy. Deidara deserved the internship. He knew that better than anyone, maybe except Chiyo since she was the one who offered him the chance in the first place, but he still could not bring himself to feel joy for the blonde, because the only reason the blonde was so good in the first place was because Chiyo decided to nurture his talent instead of her own grandson's.

He didn't want to think about it too much though. Thinking too much about these kind of things always created an artificial sense of depression in him which logic could not sift out.

The only thing that comforted him was that Deidara probably didn't know that Sasori was feeling this way. Deidara might be on par with him in terms of medical skills among other things, but at least Sasori was certain that he was superior in terms of emotions and in this case, masking them.

Sasori stared at the lecturer as he droned on and on about some procedure which Sasori had memorised in his first year. He wondered why he even bothered coming to lectures. He studied so far ahead that everything that was lectured wasn't even applicable. But he knew why he came. He needed to remind himself that he was a medical student; that he wasn't in art school, because it really didn't help that there were several art schools near his apartment.

And then he sniggered.

He reminded himself of Deidara...

… which was in itself disturbing but he did not bother to dissect it.

He wondered why he kept thinking about that incident. It was nothing special as far as he was concern. It was the first time he saw the brat and that was it. He didn't even like Deidara at that time. Deidara embodied everything he disliked, so much so that he wouldn't have paid attention to him at all if the blonde hadn't created such a ruckus. In fact, at that time, he could hardly tolerate Deidara. In the end, he supposed it all boiled down to those words, those words which have been spinning round and round his head for a long time now.

…_it's a reminder that I'm wasting my time in med school…_

To be honest, those words scared him more than anything.

Art was eternal. Life wasn't. Life in itself went against Art, and in turn everything he believed in. Medicine went against art. Sure, it extends people's lives but that was it. It didn't grant them the immortality that Sasori was so thirsty for.

To think that he was wasting time… time that he, that everyone on this earth, did not have… that thought was unbearable. He couldn't afford to think like that, because if he did, he would walk out of this lecture right now and head over to the art store before going home and unlocking the room which contained all his beloved puppets.

Crap.

He couldn't think of that room.

It was, Sasori thought to himself with a sardonic smile on his face, a reminder that I'm wasting my time in med school.

* * *

Sorry that this is later than ever!

School. Started. Again.

But! I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter. I know it's not much especially after such a long wait but I promise the next chapter will be longer! Please review! ^^


	11. Chapter 11

Chiyo wondered what Sasori was feeling. She wasn't stupid or unfeeling; naturally she knew that Sasori might have adverse reactions to this news of hers. She supposed that she could have informed him beforehand, but she never expected him to be friends with Deidara. She knew Deidara and her own grandson well enough to know that they would never be compatible. They were probably just friends because of circumstances. Switch their surroundings a bit and they would cease all communications.

Surprisingly, Sasori took the news better than she had expected, though there was the possibility that the only reason he didn't lash right out was because he was in a public place and his friends were all present. The cynical side of her put it down to Sasori being downright arrogant, but then again she supposed that her grandson had the right to be. Oh, but if he only knew of Deidara's abilities…

The internship would turn out interesting… of that she was sure at least. Sasori's competitive side wouldn't let him lose to anyone, especially a year one. Then there was Deidara of course. From the start, Chiyo had already known that Deidara never wanted to be a doctor, but she also knew that he wanted to be a doctor as fast as possible… there wasn't much time left after all… and if there was a chance that he could attain that, there was no reason for him not to grab it.

"Are you sure that it's alright for a year one to join Sasori for the internship?"

The scepticism in Kakashi's voice was as clear as day, but there was also a hesitance in his voice. He did trust her judgement after all. After all, when has _she _ever made a wrong decision? Be it in the operation theatre or being a professor.

"You'll see."

There was no need for worry. Deidara would show them. Her faith in Deidara transcends all expectations she has ever had for Sasori.

* * *

"Come to my house after school, Brat," Sasori said in a manner which clearly conveyed the fact that he would not take 'no' for an answer.

"And of course I would most definitely be free, Danna, un," Deidara replied, glaring slightly at the older man. It was obvious enough, he thought, that he was someone that did not like to be told what to do.

"If you don't, it's your loss," Sasori said swiftly and walked away without so much as a bye. Deidara didn't even have to look at the clock to know that it was Sasori's compulsive behaviour at work.

And of course, Sasori just didn't have the presence of mind to tell Deidara the time he ended school or where he would last be, leaving the blonde with no choice but to wait at the main entrance of the faculty where the older student would definitely have to pass by when leaving, which every student would have to pass by when leaving actually, meaning he had to endure many points and stares. Apparently subtlety was an art long eroded.

"Oh, there you are," Deidara said icily when Sasori walked towards him. "What happened to your policy of not making people wait, un?"

"In my defence," Sasori said and not showing a single hint of remorse or anger, continued, "I didn't know you were going. The response you gave me was hardly affirmative."

"Let's just go to your damn house, un," Deidara said and stalked off. He didn't want to have to look at the smirk which was no doubt fixed on Sasori's face.

And of course Sasori would also fail to mention that he lived in the relatively more comfortable part of the city.

"I knew you were rich, un," Deidara said, staring at the polished wood floor of the lobby in disdain. "From your attitude of course."

If Sasori heard the insult, he chose to ignore it. Deidara wondered what the sudden generosity was about, but decided not to push it too far anyway. Sasori might not be reacting now, but if he did later, it probably wouldn't be so pretty.

"Why did you have to drag me over to your house this fine weekday anyway, un?" Deidara asked when he was settled comfortably on Sasori's leather couch. Normally, he would be more conscious and polite when he was at someone's house, particularly if it was the first time he was visiting, but he figured he could forgo the courtesy with Sasori if only to anger the older man.

"You have no ethics," Sasori simply concluded, though he was more than surprised that the blonde actually remembered to take his shoes off.

"Why, un?" Deidara repeated, causing Sasori to roll his eyes.

"I'm the impatient one," Sasori snapped, making it Deidara's turn to roll his eyes. Sasori could be quite childish at times, even if those times were rare and few in between and even if the person in question didn't want to admit it himself.

"If I had known that this would be more trouble than what it's worth, I wouldn't have bothered."

"I don't mind proving your initial assumption right, Danna, un."

Sasori snorted. He seriously doubted that statement; Deidara had an inherent ability to prove him wrong if anything. Though, he supposed that showing Deidara what he had brought along would do him some good. Sasori left Deidara to his own doings in the living with a fervent hope that he wouldn't destroy anything in the few seconds that the blonde would be out of his sight. When he re-emerged with a sum of folders in his hands, he was glad to see that everything was left intact save the cup of water Deidara had fancied that he needed.

He placed the folders down onto the coffee table, watching as Deidara carelessly took the first one off the stack. When he realised what was in the contents of the folder, he looked at Sasori immediately, though with an expression which Sasori did not expect.

"You asked me over to show me what a brilliant thief you are, un?"

Sasori never had patience – that much was known to Deidara. Today the blonde would find out that Sasori had no tolerance either through the next folder which Sasori swept off the stack and threw at him. Deidara, having been caught by surprise, could do nothing more than let himself be hit by said object. He glared at Sasori.

"I was joking, un."

"I don't really care," Sasori replied in annoyance which showed through both his voice and expression. He was tempted to ask Deidara to get out of his house right then, but he really needed to finish reading those files by that night because the hospital needed them back by the next day. He would do it on his own if he could (and he could if he had been given more than three days) but even superman would find it hard to accomplish so much on his own.

"Why do I have to read these anyway?" Deidara asked, raising an eyebrow. "And before you even say anything, I know that this isn't out of some kindness from the secluded part of your heart, so what is it, un?"

"I need your help to read half of these by today," Sasori explained, but of course he wasn't really giving Deidara a way out either. "The hospital needs them back by tomorrow and I would hate to keep them any longer than what was stipulated."

"And I would agree to help, why, un?" Deidara questioned doubtfully, leafing through the folder in his hands. Sasori rolled his eyes. Of course Deidara couldn't just be a nice, helpful human being for once and just do what he was told.

"Just do it," Sasori growled, opening the folder in his own hands. The threat was looming in the air and despite how unwilling Deidara was, he knew that this was one of the _few _things Sasori wouldn't take 'no' for. Tyrant.

Without another word, Deidara started reading the information from the folder and resolved to be done before dinner time, because he was so getting a free meal out of this immoral use of free labour. Sasori would just have to comply afterwards because this was something Deidara wasn't going to take 'no' for. Heck, if the files pissed him off that much, he might even call Hidan over and throw an impromptu party for the two of them, and Hidan could go celebrate Jashin or whatever.

But he stopped thinking about that almost immediately after he started thinking about it. The thought was so enticing that he might actually just do so, and who knows what Sasori would do to the two of them if they so much as shift his doormat by a millimetre?

* * *

It was oddly quiet, Sasori realised, and he looked up expecting to find Deidara fast asleep but was greeted with an entirely different image. Deidara was not asleep at all. In fact he was as awake as ever. Deidara had his folder on his lap and was rapidly making notes on a note pad laid out on the arm of the couch he was sitting on. His hair, along with his fringe, was pulled back into a long ponytail and Sasori noted with a degree of amusement that this was the first time he had seen Deidara's whole face, as well the first time he had seen the blonde studying, or rather doing something akin to studying.

Deidara was in deep concentration if his knitted eyebrows were anything to go by. After finishing with that particularly folder, he placed it on top of a new and surprisingly neat stack and fished the next one, which happened to be the last one. He didn't even notice that Sasori wasn't even doing his work anymore and was instead looking at him.

Sasori would be lying if he said he wasn't the slightest bit impressed or even amazed. Sure, he knew that Deidara had definitely put in a lot of effort and studied like hell to get into Tokyo University Medical Faculty but he supposed that this was one of those things that you had to see to believe.

Within a few minutes he was done with his own folder and he placed it back onto the table along with the rest of the files that he had covered. He gathered his own set of notes and clipped them together and waited for Deidara to finish. When the younger medical student was done, he placed the last file on the top of the stack and flipped his note book shut. It was only then that he realised that Sasori wasn't doing anything.

"Danna, you're done, un?" he asked, stretching his arms above his head. "What time is it?"

A look at the sky told Sasori that it was already night time. A look at his watch told him that it was already nine at night. He conveyed that information to Deidara who glared at him as expected.

"This is what I get for doing shit for you, un," Deidara groaned. "A wasted day."

"It's not wasted seeing as you're attending the internship too," Sasori replied with a roll of his eyes. Trust Deidara to make everything seem horribly useless.

"You owe me dinner, un."

Sasori didn't mind that in the slightest bit. After all, he did force Deidara to read those files for him whether he wanted to admit it out right or not. Sasori got off the couch and made his way to the kitchen. He was cooking pasta and he didn't really care if Deidara's appetite wasn't in the mood for that.

"So this your way of killing me, un?" Deidara asked in amusement. "Putting poison in my food. I've got to say, Danna, there are more interesting ways to kill a person. Poison is so last century. I actually have a few good ideas myself. Want to hear them, un?"

"If you don't mind being the accomplice of your own murder, go ahead," Sasori replied with a scoff.

"Good point, un."

"And I'm eating the food too, Brat," Sasori said as he placed just the right amount of spaghetti into the pot. "I'm hardly stupid enough to accidentally kill myself in the process of killing you."

Deidara stuck out his tongue at Sasori but said nothing else. Instead, he flipped over his note pad again and started scribbling in it.

Silence reigned for the rest of the time it took for the spaghetti to be cooked and served. As usual, it was a comfortable silence where neither felt pressured to say anything. Sasori supposed it was good but he also wondered if it was because they never did have anything substantial to talk about. Art was important of course but arguing was hardly worth the effort in his opinion, though that wouldn't stop him from pushing his point that art was eternal.

"You can cook, un," was the first thing Deidara said after he swallowed the first mouthful of pasta.

"You obviously can't," Sasori retorted, watching as Deidara practically devoured the food before him. "Are you that hungry?"

"Spot on for both, un."

Sasori rolled his eyes again. He was doing that way too often recently and it was getting rather annoying, but the things Deidara did just seemed to have that effect on him. Besides, he wasn't really used to someone so loud and expressive that if truth be told, he actually didn't have a clue as to how to act around the other sometimes. It gave him a feeling of insecurity more than anything and needless to say that irritated him to no end. Still, for some strange reason which he has every intent on finding out, he could find it in him to accept Deidara.

The rest of dinner was, simply put, a noisy affair. They talked about random stuff about lectures and how Hidan recently tried to convert one of his classmates who ended up so scarred that he transferred to another faculty entirely just to avoid the man. They argued about how "eternity is an idealistic conception which people use to fuel their selfish desire to be immortals" and how "transient things are only important to people who don't know how to hold onto permanent things". They had fun insulting each other basically. They then discussed about the files that they had been pouring over the whole of the afternoon and evening and came to some interesting and sound conclusions.

Needless to say, they were both satisfied with the outcome of dinner and Sasori was more than glad that he had invited Deidara over though he would never admit that to the blonde of course. After all, fanning his already oversized ego would only do wonders to the mentality of those around him. Really.

After settling some miscellaneous stuff about the internship, Deidara decided that it was about time for him to go home, especially if he wanted to make it for the morning lecture the next day.

"So see you, un," Deidara said and opened his mouth to say something else but nothing came out. When Sasori followed his line of sight, he realised that Deidara was staring at his locked room, more precisely, the lock specially installed at the top of the door. He hoped that Deidara wouldn't say anything but who knew what would happen with him.

"See you tomorrow, Danna, un," Deidara said in the end with a small, understanding smile.

Sasori visibly relaxed and waved the blonde out before shutting the door. He heaved a sigh of relief. If Deidara had actually asked him anything about the room, he would probably have come up with some excuse despite it being very clear that Deidara wouldn't be fooled. But still, he knew why he wouldn't open the room. If he did talk about it, acknowledge its existence so openly like that, the temptation would be too great and he wasn't sure if he could resist it. The best was to pretend that it didn't exist. That, at least, Sasori had the mental capabilities to do.

* * *

Deidara hadn't realised that there was locked room in Sasori's apartment until he was about to leave. He had wanted to pry of course, being the nosy person that he knew he was. Still, he knew that if he were Sasori he would want to be left alone so despite the curiosity biting at him, he let it go. Sasori would have come up with an excuse anyway. Not to say that he wouldn't try to pry further, but that might have led to an escalated argument between them which might be worse than the last which was honestly already quite serious.

Except that this time it would have much dire consequences, because art was something they both held dear to their hearts and yet so was med school. He wondered how they could care so much about two things so mutually exclusive. At least to the them at this moment it was.

Deidara didn't have the same self-control as Sasori to actually live in a house where his art works were so near to him so he had his placed somewhere else, away from him, so that he wouldn't be distracted. Distractions came easily for him and he wasn't taking any risks, not when he has already come so far.

The internship would be starting soon. Deidara could only wonder what would happen. He doesn't know if Sasori realised it, but this internship might potentially turn them enemies. That or Deidara was just thinking too much.

Sometimes he wanted to confront Chiyo and ask her why, but he didn't because despite everything, he knew that deep down he really wanted that internship. After all, the sooner he finishes his duties as a doctor the sooner he could be free to pursue his passion for art. Still, he wondered why Chiyo offered him this opportunity. Sure, he was considered her prodigy and all but his competition was her grandson. What the hell was she trying to achieve?

Maybe she was hoping that they would both excel or whatever but the cynical side of Deidara doubted that very much.

Oh well, he could only wait to see what would happen, though he did wish, for once, that things would turn out well, that there was something he could believe in this time.

_Please._

* * *

Yay! Update! \(^^)/ The wait wasn't that long this time, right? And I did promise to update this after posting 'If it makes you feel better' so you guys aren't mad right? XD

This chapter was the longest I've written in a while so I hope that you guys will enjoy this! Please review! Reviews make me really happy. XD But regardless, if you have read this, thank you so much for taking your time to do so! ^^

Till next time! (which will be soon I hope XD)


	12. Chapter 12

"Does anyone besides me find it weird that Sasori and Deidara aren't here?" Konan asked the abnormally silent group. They were mostly quiet when they were studying (obviously) but there was just something about the absence of the two that echoed the silence further. It was rather unnerving in her opinion.

"Yeah, I totally miss their art arguments," Kakuzu replied without lifting his eyes off the book he was reading though Konan could see the forming of a slight smirk on his face. It was echoed on the faces of the others as well and she found herself agreeing with them.

"I wonder if they're killing each other…" Kisame pondered out loud, causing several sighs to go around the group.

"I hope blondie wins," was all Hidan said which earned him a smack from Kakuzu.

"They're not going to kill each other!" Konan exclaimed and rolled her eyes when patronising grunts were given as a response.

* * *

They were really not killing each other.

They were in the gallery of Operating Room 3 watching a surgery take place while making notes. The operation had been going on for about two hours already but a complication occurred just when the surgeons were closing up the body and they were forced to go in again. There was a patient who was potentially going to die down there but honestly the two found it interesting.

Sure they would choose art over medicine any time but this was an entirely new experience and it wasn't as if medicine was all that boring. They had the skill and they had the talent and as much as they liked to believe and say that they hate medicine, there was not a single doubt that they did enjoy it to a certain extent, mostly the practical part which they of course have not had an opportunity to experience yet, except maybe in the case of Deidara. Still, it was something they both expected to enjoy. It was kind of like art except that it was a more morbid form of it. Art had no limits after all.

"I thought the operation was never going to end, un," Deidara complained, stretching slightly as they walked out of the gallery. The surgery eventually ended after five gruelling hours but at least the patient was saved and stable.

"Shut up," Sasori replied cordially because the interns were shooting Deidara, and indirectly him (which was what matters actually), looks.

The blonde could at least have the presence of mind to be less vocal about what he thought was the most important part of the procedure. And there was the fact that their school's reputation was somewhat resting on their shoulders and Sasori would be damned if a negative remark about him ever reached his grandmother's ear, which in retrospect would make Deidara's horrible attitude welcomed since he would be painted in a much nicer light in comparison. Still, Deidara wasn't that stupid.

At least, Sasori was thankful that Deidara didn't show up that day looking like a hobo, what with his usually messy hair with more fringe than necessary covering the side of his face. He had his hair put up in a high ponytail, much like the one that he had on at Sasori's house except that this one was definitely neater with all loose strands properly tied up.

"This is going to be an interesting day," Deidara finally concluded, the sarcasm in his voice clear as day. Sasori ignored him.

Currently Sasori didn't mind that Deidara was on the internship with him but he was bordering on the edge of regretting. If the blonde did something stupid, like for example decide to do an operation on his own without informing anybody (and he could actually pull that off), Sasori would personally murder him and turn him into one of his puppet just to mock his idea of art, and in turn life, being transient. Deidara would never rest in peace.

Though they were on an internship, there wasn't any specific surgeon they had to shadow or a fixed schedule which they had to adhere to. They could choose any operations they wanted to observe since they obviously haven't declared a specialty yet, and they could follow the interns on their rounds if they wanted to. Basically, they could do anything they wanted besides slacking off. They had to hand in a report weekly after all and even though they were both certain they could smoke their way through it, that really wasn't an ideal situation since Chiyo was the one who would be reading them.

"It's twelve reports, un," Deidara groaned as he buried his head in his arms which were rested on the table before them. Sasori was glad that he (finally) had enough sense to keep his voice down. There weren't many people in the cafeteria now which meant that Deidara would be audible to every occupant in the room if he so much as went beyond a hushed tone.

"You could always skip a few weeks," Sasori replied casually as he sipped on his coffee. He watched on nonchalantly as the younger medical student lifted his head off the table and glared at him vehemently.

"And risk getting kicked out of this internship? In your dreams, Danna, in your dreams, un," Deidara said, enunciating the last three words especially clearly.

"Your choice," Sasori simply said and Deidara dropped his head back down onto his arms.

"You're mean, un. I don't know how I'm going to survive three months in a freaking hospital with you."

"You don't have to."

"In your dreams, un," Deidara repeated.

Deidara knew that Sasori didn't mean anything by those words but he was still bothered by them. Blame him for being cynical but there was some part of him that thought Sasori actually meant it, that he actually wanted him to be kicked out of the programme.

If he really did, Deidara didn't fault him. Heck, if he were in the same situation as Sasori he would have probably showed the other person just how annoyed he was. Honestly, he thought that Sasori was pretty much like him in that area so it really wasn't his fault if he thought that Sasori was out to kill him.

Despite how guilty he felt and how he would completely understand if Sasori wanted him out, he wasn't planning on going anywhere. If Chiyo had allowed him to reject the offer (which she technically did, nonverbally), he wouldn't have done so, and Sasori obviously knew that because hey look who was sitting with him in Tokyo Hospital's cafeteria. Call him a hypocrite but he simply wasn't a good enough person to turn down such a good opportunity even if it meant risking his friendship with Sasori.

"I'm going over to neuro now," Sasori announced, picking up his empty paper cup and throwing it into the bin on his way out. Deidara followed suit, though he had to gulp down the last of his hot tea. Damn, his throat felt like it was on fire. He shot Sasori a reproachful glare.

"You could have told me earlier, un," Deidara complained. "So that I could at least finish my tea sooner. I wouldn't dare to keep you waiting after all, un."

"It was not stipulated anywhere that we had to be together all the time during the period of this internship," Sasori replied, raising an eyebrow. "You're free to take a look at cardio. I won't stop you."

"Aww, come on, Danna," Deidara said with a wink. "You know you wanna be around me, un."

Sasori pulled a face and said nothing in response. He just simply continued walking towards the neurology section. He managed to hold back a sigh when he realised that Deidara was still following him but didn't tell the blonde to go away. If the brat wanted to have a look at neuro, that was fine with him. He wasn't going to be all tyrannical and demand that Deidara head over to cardio now or else.

Sasori had initially planned to make rounds with a neuro attending that morning but Deidara had found an interesting surgery which he subsequently forced Sasori to go watch with him and the redhead never managed to do what he had wanted to. Nonetheless, he still wanted to spend some time at neuro that day.

He would much rather have a patient's file to himself so that he could have a discussion with an attending about their condition but it was the first day so he supposed that it wouldn't be too much if he decided to be lazy and watch a surgery instead. Besides, Deidara had decided to tag along and even if he now knew how hardworking and serious the blonde could be when he wanted to be, he still wasn't too tempted to try that out with him around.

Sasori saw the look on Deidara's face when it was apparent that he was going to watch a surgery instead of doing anything hands-on and swore that he could almost hear a groan. A smirk made its way onto his face; Deidara _was _the one who wanted to follow him. Half of him hoped that Deidara might decide to leave because he still very much preferred alone time over communicating with another human being but there was no such luck.

Of course Sasori also failed to mention that this was a long, seven hours, surgery and that the probability of it taking a longer time was so high that it was almost confirmed. Deidara managed the first three hours fairly well. By the fourth, he was very much bored. By the fourth and a half hour, he was restless and kept shifting about but that was the only thing he did. Apparently he had more self-control than Sasori gave him credit for.

The surgery was a complicated one and it was certainly ten times more fascinating than the one they had watched this morning (which Deidara had claimed was interesting by the way) but it seemed that Deidara didn't enjoy it as much, not that he even enjoyed the previous one. Sasori deduced that Deidara really had zero interest in medicine or had a really serious case of ADHD. He wondered if he should be worried since he was betting more on the second option. He was the opposite of ADHD.

By the fifth hour, Deidara stood up and left. Sasori didn't know if he should laugh since he totally expected the blonde to do that or if he should be disappointed that Deidara couldn't even last watching a seven hours surgery. But he felt neither. In fact, he felt a slightly annoyed. If Deidara couldn't even watch a surgery seriously, he didn't deserve to do an operation.

Sasori didn't know where that thought came from and he wasn't entirely sure that he was justified in thinking that but that was how he honestly felt and he didn't think it was wrong. Maybe a part of him was still jealous that Chiyo hadn't taught him a thing and yet taught it to someone who was seemingly so unworthy. All in all, he realised that he couldn't accept Deidara if the blonde didn't start taking this internship more seriously, whether he (they) liked it or not.

* * *

The operation did end later than forecasted. It took two hours longer and by the time Sasori came out of the gallery the afternoon had already faded away and it was well into the night. A slight discomfort in his stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten at all for the whole day but hunger was really something trivial. He would get something to eat on the way home later. Right now, he wanted to look for the blonde.

It wasn't hard. Deidara was sitting on one of the chairs in the corridors in front of the vending machine with a can of coffee. Sasori immediately knew that something was wrong. He didn't know why he thought that; it was just a feeling. Still, he felt a little guilty for thinking the way he did back in the gallery. Maybe Deidara was taking this seriously; he just wasn't showing it.

He walked towards the blonde and with each step he took he realised that there really was something off with Deidara. Deidara could never sit still for long unless he was seriously engrossed in something and the way he held the can with it practically dangling from his fingertips it was apparent that he had been sitting there for some time already. And the way he was staring blankly into space was simply eerie.

"What's wrong?" Sasori asked when he was within earshot of the other.

"Nothing," Deidara replied, flashing Sasori a wide beam as if he wasn't just staring at nothing. It was his normal smile, the smile that he always greeted everyone with. Sasori couldn't believe that it took him so long to realise how fake that smile was.

He wanted to probe, ask what was wrong, but he didn't. Reverse the situation and he would plummet the person who kept pestering him. Instead, he just returned a small smile and went over to the vending machine to get a drink. Deidara would tell him when he wanted to.

He wondered why that thought came from. Why would Deidara tell him anything of consequence? Sure they were close but they weren't that close. He knew that from the very beginning but for reason it was so easy to forget. Maybe it was because fate tossed them into such similar situations that it was hard to believe that they couldn't confide everything in each other but Sasori kept forgetting that they only knew each other for a couple of months.

Deidara's past was a blank to him basically. Besides the reason for being in med school, Sasori knew next to nothing about the other man. His life was simple. It really was just med school and art. He had never been a particularly friendly person nor had he ever wanted to make friends forever and he certainly did not believe in that 'best friends forever' crap which was prevalent in schools so he had never been hurt in any of those areas. Besides, he was too busy topping tests and exams to be bothered by other people.

Things eventually worked out in the end for him though. He had friends like Itachi and Kisame and they were good friends even if it seemed like he didn't appreciate them sometimes. And now, though he didn't like to admit it, he had Deidara and Hidan. They were good friends but nothing could change the fact that he knew next to nothing about them.

Deidara seemed to be the exact opposite of Sasori. He seemed to be the type of person who believed in the 'best friends forever' crap but got so deeply hurt by it that he never recovered. Sasori didn't know. Those were all mere deductions on his part from observing the blonde.

"Want to go to cardio?" Sasori asked.

"It's fine," Deidara said and he sounded like he never wanted to go to cardio.

Sasori was more than perplexed. Wasn't Deidara's purpose for going to med school to be a cardio surgeon? But once again he didn't probe.

"Okay."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Danna."

Before Sasori could reply, Deidara had turned the corner and was out of his sight. It took Sasori a while to realise that Deidara hadn't end any of his sentences with his trademark 'un'. Deidara was just getting more mysterious every day.

* * *

YAY fast update! XD At least I think it was this time round. XD

Thanks for all the reviews for the previous chapters dearies! Reallly appreciated them. And there were new followers too. \ O /

So what do you guys think of this chapter? ^^


	13. Chapter 13

Respect was something Sasori observed very sternly. Unless someone proved themselves to be completely unworthy of it, Sasori would never fail to show it to them. Deidara was really an exception, as with many other things. But that was when he had judged the blonde without knowing him personally beforehand. He usually made assumptions about people and that was by far his greatest flaw, though that certainly did not excuse his treatment of Deidara.

Anyway, Sasori knew there was something wrong with Deidara and he wanted to know what but he wouldn't pry. That wasn't in his nature and the blonde must know that because he wasn't bothering to cover up his moody demeanour. He didn't even greet Sasori like he usually did (a huge smile and big wave) that morning when he saw the older medical student at the entrance of the hospital. He merely nodded.

All he knew was that Deidara had gone to the cardiology department the day before while he was watching the neuro surgery. Something must have happened then. It didn't take a genius to figure that out. And he wasn't a stalker. And he most definitely did not pry. A nurse just asked him whether his friend Iwa-san was going to be at the cardiology department again that day.

Friend. It was strange and peculiar that someone actually referred to Deidara as his friend. It was not that he didn't regard him, or Hidan for that matter, as his friends, but he guessed that he had never actually attached a status to Deidara. Deidara was Deidara. That's it.

"Brat, you're being weird," Sasori said eventually.

It was the first thing he said to Deidara that day (because why should he greet the brat if the brat didn't even do so?) and surprisingly, he actually replied.

"I'm not, un."

The shock must have been apparent because Sasori didn't reply. His face, though, was as impassive as ever. Deidara started sniggering and though Sasori would have usually been annoyed by that obvious show of mockery, he couldn't find it in himself to be even a bit irritated. He was really just glad that Deidara was still there somewhere.

"Why are you so shocked, Danna, un?" Deidara asked as if he really had no clue. Sasori started to glare, due to instinct more than anything; the blonde could not be that clueless after all.

Deidara started sniggering again.

"Concerned?"

Sasori rolled his eyes and got up to leave. Deidara, he decided, was in serious need of a consultation with a psychiatrist. That kid had issues. He was gloomy and depressed, acting as if the worst thing in his life had just happened one moment and cheery and bubbly the next. If he wasn't mad, Sasori was pretty sure that _he _would be the one to lose his sanity. Sometimes he questioned himself as to why he cared about Deidara so much.

He usually put it down to the fact that it was because they were in similar situations and thus he was more inclined to be concerned about Deidara since he was human. Nonetheless, he was starting to think that it was horrible decision made on his part because, for the life of him, he couldn't find anything positive out of being so bothered by the younger medical student (except maybe when he can comfort himself with the fact that the blonde's life was potentially worse than his).

"Really, Danna, you have to relax and stop treating everything so seriously, un," Deidara advised casually with a lopsided smile. There wasn't even a hint that there was something wrong with him, that something had happened that had made him so detached from life the day before.

_I only treat you this seriously._

Sasori almost stopped in his tracks when that thought flashed through his mind. It would turn out that he cared about Deidara more than he had initially thought possible. This was bad in every sense of the word. Sasori was never a people person for more reasons than he could count and this sense of concern that he was developing for Deidara was screwing with that, though he supposed that Deidara was just a single entity and thus didn't count for much. But still.

Well, his connection with Deidara was deeper than any he had with any other person so that was probably the reason why. The paradoxical thing would be that they didn't even know each other that well and their understandings of each other were based on assumptions and deductions more than anything. Maybe the fact that their theories always come out right had something to do with deepening the bond between them… those assumptions that were made carefully and not those that they used to insult each other anyway.

"Come on, Danna! Stop ignoring me, un," Deidara said with an obvious pout in his face. Heck, Sasori could _hear _him pouting.

"Whatever, Brat," Sasori replied with a low sigh. He actually didn't mind, despite everything.

Deidara placed a hand on Sasori's shoulder and there was something in his grip that let Sasori know that something was wrong. The redhead stopped in his tracks and glanced back to look at Deidara, catching his eyes. Sasori never realised how intense they were before and almost turned away but there was something in those cerulean orbs – a plea – that made Sasori continue looking.

He didn't know why and how for that matter, but he knew that Deidara had something to tell him, something that he wanted to tell him in private. Sasori gave a small nod turned around. Deidara let go of him subsequently.

When Sasori went to the hospital that day to tour around the place, he hadn't only looked at the various departments and operating theatre. He had gone around to see if there were any place where he could "hide out" as well. Obviously it wasn't because he wanted to skive off work; it was because he figured that he would need a quiet place to ponder over some cases. A place where no one else would go.

He had found several spots around the hospital which fulfilled the criteria but barely satisfied him. They were mostly small rooms located somewhere at the basement. Then there were some, again small, rooms on the higher levels but they weren't as closed off as the rooms at the basements were. And Sasori was in no way claustrophobic but that didn't mean that he liked small spaces very much either. Every other place in the building was crawling with patients or staff. So he decided to take his space out of the hospital.

The rooftop.

It wasn't hard to find the entrance to the rooftop (there was only so many places such an entry could be) but though it was slightly harder to actually get onto the rooftop, it hardly posed a challenge to Sasori. The door was locked, and further enquiry revealed that the reason was because several patients have tried committing suicide in the past, but Sasori managed to pick it open just fine.

"Figures you would choose wide, open spaces, un," Deidara muttered somewhat bitterly.

Sasori turned to the blonde ready with a biting comment when he realised that Deidara looked unease and rather squeamish.

"Are you agoraphobic?" Sasori asked, for once unable to keep the shock out of his voice.

Deidara shot him a peeved look but it wasn't as if Sasori could do anything about his instinctive reaction. He had thought that Deidara, pricing freedom and liberty as he did (inferred), would love the open spaces and the unconstraint it offered more than anybody but it would turn out that he was wrong if Deidara's reaction was anything to go by.

"It's not agoraphobia, un," Deidara replied, walking over to the edge of the rooftop and dropping himself down onto the ground ungracefully. He released a long sigh and leant back against the wall. "It's not a sickness. I just don't like open spaces, un."

"I figured you would like them."

"Assumptions, un," Deidara said with a small smile. "But the basis, which would be that I love the liberty attached to them, would be correct, un."

Sasori let out a small chuckle. He had thought that much.

"So why do you hate them?" Sasori asked as he took a seat beside Deidara. A part of him, the serious and responsible one, was berating him – he really ought to be working and not be frolicking around on the rooftop with Deidara no less but he could hardly care at that moment.

"It reminds me too much of what I love, un," Deidara replied with a sardonic smile. Deidara didn't elaborate and Sasori didn't ask for an explanation either; he knew too well what Deidara was talking about.

"Though," Sasori started, "they still give me a sense of freedom which I relish in, even though it's fake, temporary."

"Oh, Danna, I thought I was the one on that side of the argument," Deidara said playfully with a small victorious smirk.

"I'll have you know that I meant it in an entirely different matter," Sasori answered. "It might feel good at that moment but when that moment's gone I crash back to reality, wishing that I never went up."

"Are you seriously bringing our argument into another context, un?" Deidara asked, sounding half amused and half incredulous as he turned to look at Sasori.

"Art knows no boundaries," Sasori said with a smirk.

"This, we concur," Deidara said, nodding in agreement as he leaned back against the wall with a contented little sigh. "This feels good, un."

"Yeah it does," Sasori admitted. He hadn't expected being with Deidara to be so natural and he most certainly didn't expect to feel so comfortable being around the blonde.

They mostly hang out with their group of friends of course but there was something about the way they acted around them that was different from the way they acted when they were just around each other. The only time they actually did spend time together, alone without the others, was that day when Sasori invited Deidara to his house to slave over the hospital files, but they didn't talk much then and it wasn't as if dinner time was long enough for Sasori to ascertain any feelings of comfort.

"While I do feel like arguing with you on that point, and I know that you know that I know that you would love to delve into that argument as well, we don't really have the right to be wasting time watching birds, un," Deidara said, laughing in between his words. "We have taken enough liberties for the day just by being here, un."

Sasori couldn't agree more and he was just about to suggest leaving when he realised that he had completely forgotten the main purpose why they were on the rooftop in the first place. It was lucky that he hadn't made any appointments with the neurology doctor the previous day or he would have certainly been late; the thing would have completely slipped his mind.

"Brat, are you going to tell me why we're here?" he asked in the end.

The effect was instant. The grin fell from Deidara's face and that depressed look returned though it was milder than before. Deidara sighed and closed his eyes.

"I don't understand your grandmother sometimes, un," Deidara said with a groan.

That caught Sasori off guard because he definitely hadn't been expecting anything about Chiyo. No offense to his grandmother, and he loved her really, but he had noticed a pattern that whenever she came up it was hardly anything good.

"Neither do I."

"You know that relative of mine? The one who has a severe heart condition but refuses to operate because she's such a stubborn bitch, un?"

Sasori looked at Deidara in amusement but the blonde wasn't letting anything up.

"Yes, your mother," Sasori said, barely managing to stop himself from laughing at Deidara's grimace. "What's wrong with her?"

"She's here, un."

Okay, Sasori was definitely not expecting that. Deidara had to stop dropping bombshells on him soon.

"What is she doing here?" Sasori asked, knowing it was a stupid question but still asking anyway. He needed Deidara to elaborate on this after all and the blonde didn't seem like he was going to without being probed.

"She's admitted here, to this hospital, un," Deidara replied in a bitter tone. It was obvious how much he liked talking about his mother.

"Why?"

"She said your grandmother suggested it, un," Deidara answered and a thousand question started swirling in Sasori's mind

How did Chiyo know Deidara's mother? Were they friends? Were they _close _friends? Was that why Chiyo decided to train Deidara when he was young? If Deidara's mother was Chiyo's friend, then why didn't Chiyo introduce to him? Why wasn't _Deidara _introduced to him then, for that matter?

It seemed like Deidara had the answers to all these questions and Sasori never felt a greater urge to pry but he didn't. It wasn't what he do. It wasn't him.

Deidara seemed to know what he was thinking though because he said, "That's another story for another time, un."

It really just translated to 'I'm not really comfortable about talking about this to you right now' and Sasori could understand but there was just this part of him that was severely annoyed and really wanted to know, because he was somewhat involved in that web of events even if it wasn't directly so. But still, Sasori could understand.

It wasn't like Deidara was withholding the information on purpose (in a way he was but Sasori wasn't about to be a total bitch and go in that direction); the blonde didn't look very happy knowing all those things either.

"Is that why you were so gloomy yesterday?" Sasori asked.

Deidara nodded curtly. There was something else that happened. Sasori just knew if from the way Deidara kept silent and kept fidgeting with his hair. This was something he wouldn't pry though. It was completely up to Deidara to decide whether he wanted to tell Sasori about it or not.

"She was being a total bitch, un," Deidara muttered eventually, "going on and on and on about how I should be a doctor soon without taking into account the fact that I'm in freaking _med school _and on a fucking _internship_ all because of her, mother dearest, un."

"Tell her then," Sasori suggested with a shrug. He didn't know how to deal with annoying people; they usually left him alone.

"I did, un," Deidara said darkly. "Then she went on about how I wasted my time with art hence I couldn't enter med school earlier. Mind her; I'm only nineteen, un."

Sasori didn't know what to say so he didn't say anything. Though, despite how terrible Deidara's mother sounded like, there was no doubt that Sasori's interest was piqued. He wanted to see Deidara's mother, wanted to see with his own eyes the woman who had caused Deidara's life to be so miserable. He felt an irrational sense of anger towards the woman, something that he had never done before. Deidara was really screwing with him.

"No wonder you were so upset yesterday," Sasori concluded since Deidara didn't look like he was going to say anything soon.

"And why I didn't want to go to cardio, un," Deidara continued.

"Because you just left that place."

"Exactly, un."

They sat there in silence for a few minutes before both their sense of responsibility seized control of them and they decided that they should go back downstairs.

"Want to go to cardio, un?" Deidara asked with a slight smirk when they were safe within the confines of the four white walls.

Sasori had plans that day. He had plans to watch a certain surgery that was about to take place in ten minutes and take notes so that he could have a discussion with a neuro surgeon later. He had planned for that to be in his report for that week. He never messed up his plans and he always killed whoever attempts to mess his plans up in any way. But now he thought 'screw it'.

"Let's go."

The walk to the cardiology section was relatively silent. Deidara was busy smirking away and Sasori didn't know why and he was too busy coming up with images as to how Deidara's mother would look like. He was so busy trying to picture it that he hadn't realised that Deidara had stopped until he bumped into the blonde.

"There, un," Deidara said, nodding his head in the direction of a private ward. The curtains weren't drawn so Sasori could easily see the blonde woman sitting on her bed from where they were standing.

He wasn't shocked but her appearance; she looked normal enough though he supposed that she was considered pretty. He was more shocked at how she looked so similar to Deidara. If he had just seen her back view, he was quite sure that he would mistake her for her son. That was how alike they looked.

"Doesn't she look like me, un?" Deidara said in what Sasori thought was a really good mockery of a proud mother. "Or more that I look a lot like her since she gave birth to me, un."

"You're practically identical to her," Sasori agreed while Deidara nodded as if he had expected that… which he probably did.

"Everyone says that, un," Deidara said in a bored tone. He had probably heard that statement a million times, which wasn't surprisingly really. Sasori supposed they could pass off as twins. Deidara's mother didn't look that old and Deidara look all that manly, but Sasori wasn't going to risk telling Deidara that. The blonde had a tendency to be violent.

"You'll find, unlike other people, that the similarity stops at the looks" Deidara said, sounding rather smug. Sasori was starting to suspect that the only reason Deidara brought him over was just so that there would be someone to tell him that he was different from his mother and he pointed that out to the blonde.

Deidara's nose wrinkled.

"Your impression of me is too low, Danna, un," Deidara said in an offended tone before adopting a more childish one and saying with a wink, "but you're partially right."

Sasori rolled his eyes.

"Obviously."

"Do you want to talk to her, un?" Deidara asked and there was a sparkle in the blonde's eyes which Sasori did not quite like, but he was already there and what harm could a simple conversation with a patient do?

"Fine, Brat, fine."

* * *

Sorry this took so long! :x I know I'm horrible. D:

But this chapter is longer than the previous few to make up for that! ^^

I really wanted to update earlier because I was so happy but school got in the way. D: The last chapter was the first that received 8 reviews so I was really, really happy! :D I'm really sad that I couldn't update earlier either.

Anyway I hope you guys enjoy this chapter too! ^^


	14. Chapter 14

"You must be Sasori," Deidara's mother said the moment Sasori stepped into the hospital room, Deidara a few steps behind. "You can call me Iwa-san."

"Iwa-san," Sasori greeted coolly, not bothering with smiles or niceties. Iwa-san didn't seem very happy to see him either, and he definitely did not like the way she looked at him as if she was trying to pick out some faults.

The more important thing, though, was that she didn't look a bit like Deidara. Looking at her afar would give the impression that she looked like Deidara but he didn't see how anyone (and so far everyone it would seem) who had seen the two before would say that they were identical. As far as physical appearance went, they were indeed similar, but Iwa-san had a certain air of fierce countenance which Deidara lacked. While Iwa-san was more on the offensive, Deidara was more on the guarded side. These two things made them look very different already.

The most telling factor was the eyes. Again, they were similar in the aspect that they had the same eye colour – cerulean blue, but Iwa-san's eyes held a stern gaze whereas Deidara's ones held more life. Honestly, Sasori would have never thought that they looked the same had he seen her face to face from the start.

"So how's your grandmother?" Iwa-san asked, her intense gaze fixed completely on Sasori. The redhead was certainly most uncomfortable with her penetrating stare but he didn't show it.

"You would know since she made this arrangement for you, un," Deidara interjected before Sasori could say anything. The blonde made his way further into the room and fell onto the couch in an ungraceful heap.

"When I'm speaking to him, you shouldn't interrupt," Iwa-san replied, eyes flickering to Deidara for a whole second before sweeping back to Sasori.

Sasori didn't say anything but they all knew that he agreed. He was just obvious like that, at least in this sense. He expected Deidara to glare at him or something but no such thing happened. Deidara obviously knew him well enough.

"So, how is your grandmother?" Iwa-san repeated with a terse smile. Apparently she just about hated waiting as much as Sasori did. It was slightly depressing that Sasori could find himself sympathetic to her.

"She's fine, thank you for asking," Sasori replied. A model answer.

"Tell me more."

"She's teaching at the university again," Sasori said. It was a pathetic answer really but he didn't really know much about what else his grandmother was up to.

"And?"

"She's thinking of writing a new book."

Sasori really hoped that she would stop asking him to elaborate more. That was really all he knew about Chiyo as of that moment. He didn't talk to her much, and all he ever talked to her abut was school work, and recently the internship.

"Anything about her personal life?"

"Sorry, we're not very close," Sasori decided to say eventually and had to resist the urge to lash out at the woman when she gave him a knowing stare and sardonic smile.

So he wasn't close to Chiyo, so what? Her relationship with her own son wasn't very good either… but Sasori wasn't about to say that of course. He was spiteful, not stupid.

"So how are your results in school then?"

"As expected of me."

"Can't do better than that?"

Sasori did all he could not to shoot her an annoyed look but his level of vexation was seriously increasing with each second. This woman really did know how to get on his nerves… much like Deidara in that aspect but at least the latter was more tolerable.

He offered a silent apology to Deidara for comparing him to his mother but he couldn't help it. He just had to make sure that the younger medical student never found out or there would be hell to face. Deidara raging was never something to look forward; it was something to be avoided if anything. And he was talking about the serious raging, not the childish ones about his arguments on art.

"Anyway," she said, obviously realising the tense silence that was starting to build up. "What are you interested in? Medical wise of course."

"Neuro."

"Oh, like dear Chiyo I see," Iwa-san said with a wider smile. "Was that your own choice or was that her choice?"

"My own choice."

"Influenced by her?"

Sasori was about to deny that (despite how true it was but he could definitely persuade Iwa-san otherwise) when Deidara decided that now was a good time to annoy his mother further and interrupt.

"Why the fuck are you interrogating him on his life, un?" Deidara asked and it was clear how he felt about his mother's firing questions.

Somewhere, along the course of the conversation, Deidara had moved from the couch and was standing at the window, with his back towards the occupants of the room.

"Like I said before, stay silent when I'm talking to someone else," Iwa-san said with an edge in her voice. It must be something she really hated, Sasori supposed. Deidara didn't even turn around or give a reply. He just stood there as if she hadn't said a thing. It was quite obvious that Iwa-san expected a reply – an apology – but it was also clear that she wouldn't get one.

They were as obstinate as each other.

Sasori really had to stop finding their similarities and focus on their differences instead but it was quite hard to do. Still, despite all these similar traits, he found that he still liked Deidara better. His mother was simply unbearable.

Nonetheless, he was actually kind of glad for that interruption. He was pretty sure that he was about to strangle the woman. But there were better ways to get back at her.

"Why wouldn't you do the operation?" he asked and her eyes shifted to him so quickly he that he was almost shocked. He could just see the smirk on Deidara's face.

"How is that your concern?" she asked, significantly more agitated than before. Well, payback was a bitch.

"Do tell him why you wouldn't do it, un," Deidara commented leisurely but Iwa-san ignored him.

"It isn't," Sasori replied casually with a meaningful look.

Iwa-san got what he was talking about of course. She wasn't stupid. She simply gave him the terse smile that she had been giving him the whole time he was there. To him, it was the most intolerable part of her. It felt as if she thought she was superior and it was quite obvious that she was judging him with everything he said. Sasori wondered how Deidara ever grew up under her care, if it could be called that.

"I wouldn't have pegged you down to be the type of people that befriends my son," she pointed out. An innocent observation, nothing else, but it was obvious that she was trying to get at something.

"Many people would feel the same," Sasori said. After all, he himself had thought the exact same thing and chances were that Chiyo did too.

"How did you two become friends?" she asked, a suspicious tone in her voice coupled with a knowing look.

Sasori knew danger when he saw it and this was such a situation. Of course she wanted a confirmation that they were both not being "led astray" by fantasies of art and are instead being solely focused on what really mattered - medicine. If she was that close a friend of Chiyo's, she would have probably heard about how interested he had been in art when he was a child from her. She had probably been trying to drill an answer out of Deidara the day before.

"You two are so different after all," Iwa-san continued. The eagerness in her voice was quite scary and Sasori wondered what she could actually want to do with that information but found that he wasn't really all that interested.

"We both treat medicine very seriously."

"You do?" she asked sceptically, a raised eyebrow emphasising it.

"Yes, medicine is very important to us," Sasori assured her, holding her eyes as she looked for any signs of insincerity. He was a good liar.

She finally tore her gaze away with a small laugh.

"It seems that you really have been working hard on medicine I see," she told Deidara who smiled a little too sweetly back at her.

"I should rest now," she said, giving the two a pointed look.

"Of course, un," Deidara said and left without a second glance. He even made sure to close the door behind him.

* * *

Deidara was laughing, laughing crazily and if he didn't stop soon, the doctors seated in the cafeteria were going to send him to the psych floor. Honestly Sasori wouldn't have been all that against that. He had been thinking that Deidara needed to see a psychiatrist for a long time now. There was also the fact that it would be utterly hilarious to see Deidara trying to explain his way out of that, especially since he does seem to sound mentally unstable, well, all the time.

"'_We both treat medicine very seriously'_," he repeated amidst giggles. "Oh that is so brilliant, Danna. Sheer brilliance, un."

"Would you stop laughing?" Sasori asked, but he didn't feel half as annoyed as he sounded. Iwa-san had probably just made his tolerance level really high. If he could manage a conversation without lashing out at her, there was no one he couldn't tolerate.

"But that was genius, Danna, un," Deidara replied, his laughter finally subsiding after ten minutes.

"I am."

"Yes, yes, never pass up a chance to accept a praise, un," Deidara said with a snort. "What a narcissist."

"I actually can afford to be one," Sasori replied to which Deidara rolled his eyes too.

"Sure, Danna, sure, un," he replied.

"She's not like you," Sasori said and Deidara stopped smiling and turned to look at him. It was the most serious Sasori had ever seen him. This was another thing about Deidara that he had somehow gotten used to. The blonde would be all giggly and happy one moment and serious and stern the next. The pattern sometimes varied to being gloomy and depressing. The usual style would be him showing a bunch of positive emotions one moment and then the (kind of) negative ones the next.

"Please don't say that for the sake of saying that, un," Deidara said and Sasori could tell that a white lie wouldn't work, not when Deidara actually held this issue so close to his heart.

"There are some parts of your similar to her, but you're definitely more tolerable than her," Sasori said eventually.

Deidara smiled.

"Thanks, Danna, un. Thanks."

* * *

Finally, it was the weekends. Konan had been waiting for this particular weekend for weeks already. It was a month after the internship started and Sasori and Deidara finally had enough time to meet up with the rest of them. She had wanted to meet up with them sooner but she didn't want them to fork out time they didn't have. Basically, she was just glad that they had settled down into their new environment. Still, they could only meet in the afternoon since someone was busy one way or another in the morning.

Despite Itachi advocating the usefulness of an agenda, and Kisame naturally backing him out, there was no one who was willing to do so and besides their opinions and tastes were all different anyway. It would be impossible to decide on a fixed place to go, but they decided to meet at a park near the school campus first anyway.

Ironically, Konan was the one who arrived the latest. Sure she was the one who suggested the whole thing but late-coming was an illness that couldn't be cured.

"You hypocrite!" Kakuzu complained. "You're always early for school."

"That's a different matter altogether," she replied sweetly and Kakuzu rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath which he took care not to let her overhear.

"Let's go to the nursery," Zetsu said immediately and he was certainly bouncier than ever. He was clutching a plant encyclopaedia in his arms and a page was bookmarked with a cactus maker.

"We don't care fucking about a bloody new plant that you freaking fell in love with for the disgusting millionth time, you agonising bitch," Hidan retorted with a scoff as Zetsu attempted to make holes in Hidan's head with his eyes. Hidan was too much of a thick headed skull for that to work though.

"Oh my gosh," Deidara said and the affection was as clear as day in his voice. "I missed that so much, un. Do you know how fucking annoying doctors are, un? Cursing is taboo. The fuck, un."

"You're fucking missing out, Blondie, you're fucking missing out," Hidan said in what he probably thought was a sympathetic tone. It sounded more mocking than anything though.

"I hope you come to the hospital one day, Hidan, un," Deidara suggested with a mischievous glint in his eyes which Sasori did not quite like.

"As a bloody patient?"

"Yeah, literally, un."

Hidan seemed to like that idea a lot and it was apparent that he was seriously contemplating it. Sasori would definitely not allow for it though.

"Don't you dare come," Sasori said, making his stand very clear.

Tough and mighty as Hidan liked to act, he did have an irrational fear for Sasori. That man was scary. Deidara was probably the only one dense enough to not have realised that. Thus, even though Hidan did find the idea to be very appealing and interesting, he decided that he wouldn't risk the wrath of the Akasuna.

"Fine, fuck you! I have better damn things to do, you ass," Hidan snapped. Fear did not mean that he would stop cursing. It was like telling him to give up Jashinism. Which equated to him giving up his life. No wait, Jashin was way more important than his life. He offered up a silent apology to his god for even thinking that and promised ten more rituals that week as penance.

Sasori simply ignored him while the rest laughed their heads off. Hidan was really adorable in the way he tried to act so badass when he was really a big marshmallow inside. Okay, that was an exaggeration but the man really is not as fierce or scary as he pretends to be.

"Let's go to the aquarium," Kisame suggested once the hoo-ha died down and looks, meaningful looks, were shot his way.

"Fine."

And of course Itachi wanted to go to the library ("You fucking retard! We're not all Jashin-damned crazy like you, you bastard!"), Tobi wanted to go to the amusement park ("Why is the kid even here, un?"), Kakuzu wanted to go to the bank ("Get a life already."), Pein wanted to the titanic exhibition ("No way."), Konan wanted to go shopping ("The shit?" "Really Konan?" "Please no."), Hidan wanted to go to the seaside to conduct a ritual ("Really?" "Hidan." "Seriously."), Sasori wanted to go to a science museum ("Go jump off a bridge.") and Deidara wanted nothing more than to kill them all.

"Just decide on a place already, un," he complained.

"You say something then!"

"I don't really care where we go, un," Deidara replied with a smirk. "Meaning according to democracy, we'll listen to the person who I agree with, un."

"Then let's go to the nursery!"

"Oh I forgot to mention that I'm sorely against that, un. That, and the library."

Actually he didn't mind the library; he just didn't want to agree with Itachi. The thought was disturbing and disgusting.

"Best fucking friend."

"Let's go to the beach, un."

There were groans and protests all around and weird excuses started popping out like how Itachi really wasn't dressed for the beach. But Hidan managed to pull at least two more people over to his side because "Fuck, you can fucking swim in the sea, you disgusting mutated fish" and "Plants bloody exist at the seaside too, you damned plant".

So they went to the beach.

* * *

"Fuck," was the first thing Hidan said upon arrival because he realised that his scythe and thus couldn't commit his ritual. People were starting to shoot him death glares already but all that was forgotten in the face of the exceptionally good weather that they were provided with that day. It was cooling and the sun was hiding behind a stack of clouds. It was definitely going to rain but to them, it was a good day to be at the beach, especially since none of them liked the sun particularly much.

Kisame took to the sea immediately and Itachi followed him, but he didn't swim. He just sat at the shore and started spacing out. He was probably thinking about some really complicated and complex philosophical theories though.

Pein and Konan decided to take a stroll alone with coos of "aww how sweet!" following their backs which they ignored. They stopped soon enough though because Pein and Konan might decide to turn back and murder them, or find a weapon on their walk which could be used to murder them. Either ways, it did not bode well.

Zetsu went off in search of plants and dragged Tobi along with him. Tobi had initially wanted to spend his time with his sempai but Deidara managed to bribe Zetsu by offering to buy him some expensive plant that he wanted.

"I'm richer than I look, un," he assured the plant lover.

Hidan felt a spiritual calling and dragged a very reluctant Kakuzu off with him. The latter kept complaining about how a waste of time this was and how that converted into a waste of money. They were all good at tuning him out by now.

"I thought the point of this was so that we could all hang out together, un," Deidara complained to Sasori when he realised that they were the two left behind.

Sasori shrugged and started walking off. Not knowing what else to do, Deidara followed him. After about ten minutes, Sasori sat down on the shore.

There were not much people at the beach to begin with due to the weather which was only perceived to be good by the bunch of them, but this area that they arrived at was secluded. But it had a nice, calming effect about it. The tranquillity the isolation brought coupled with the cooling atmosphere created by the weather made the entire situation really comfortable.

"To think we ended together again, un," Deidara said with a small laugh. He didn't mind really but he was bitter that Hidan chose to drag Kakuzu off instead of him. He thought that absence was supposed to make the heart grow fonder or something along those lines.

"I'm not that happy either," Sasori replied.

"I didn't say I wasn't happy, un!" Deidara defended and started pouting. "You're mean, Danna, un!"

"Established fact, Brat."

"Aren't Hidan and Kakuzu getting really close recently, un?" Deidara mused, trying to make light of the situation though the bitterness was apparent in his voice.

"Upset?"

Deidara turned to look at Sasori and was about to deny it when he noticed, for once, how intense Sasori's eyes were. The way he was staring out at the horizon was almost frightening. There was a thirst in his eyes but for what Deidara did not know. He wanted to ask about it but Sasori repeated the same word and he was reminded that they were still talking about him.

"Kind of, un. Hidan's _my _best friend, un."

"I think Hidan felt like that a while back, didn't he?" Sasori asked.

Deidara nodded even though he knew that Sasori wouldn't see it. With the way Sasori was concentrating so hard on the horizon, Deidara wondered if he was even really paying attention to the conversation. He had never felt more curious about the redhead than he did then.

"Still."

"Bad experience?" Sasori questioned. It was a sensitive question and he was almost prying into Deidara's past so he wasn't exactly expecting a reply. He didn't even know why he asked that in the first place. There was something about this place which was emboldening him.

"Yeah, bad experience, un."

Sasori certainly hadn't been expecting that. Even if Deidara was going to answer, he had assumed that the blonde would give a simple 'no' and let the subject end there. Maybe something about the place was urging Deidara to be more honest too.

Nonetheless, that was about as much as Sasori was going to pry. He was not going to ask the blonde to elaborate. If Deidara wanted to tell him more, he would. He wasn't the type that needed people to ask him for him to tell. He did what he wanted to because of what he felt like. He was a free spirit.

"I had a best friend when I was younger, not much younger though, un," Deidara said before laughing. "Actually we only stopped being so about last year? Or the year before. Somewhere around then, un. I can't really remember, un."

"Because you don't want to?"

"I think it's my coping mechanism, un."

Sasori nodded. Everyone's coping mechanism was different. He, for one, never forgot. It was kind of scary how much he could remember sometimes.

"It was weird, un. She was the first person I could truly connect to I guess, but somewhere along the line things happened and we faded, un," Deidara said.

He had thought that he would feel depressed or something akin to that if he ever told about this to someone but all he felt was apathy. He didn't know why he was telling this to someone either. He had planned to let it remain a relic of his past. It was Sasori. Something about the man always made him spill his past and thoughts. It was quite unfair actually. Sometimes he thought that the older man knew more about him than he did about him.

"Did she like art?" Sasori asked and Deidara laughed.

Sasori still didn't turn to him though. He was starting to feel really curious but the conversation was still about him and he did want to tell Sasori more about this ex-best friend of his for some strange reason.

"No. We hardly had anything in common, un."

"Kind of like you and me."

"Art is all we need, un, despite our more than differing opinions," Deidara said. Sasori chuckled at that but still not pull his eyes away.

"Do you want to meet her again?" Sasori asked.

"Would you want to meet her again if you were me, un?"

"I'm not you."

"Hypothetically, un."

Sasori did not reply for such a long time that Deidara seriously thought that he was ignoring him. But he didn't push for an answer. If Sasori was going to ignore him then fine.

"I would want to actually."

"Why, un?" Deidara questioned, feeling a bit stupid that he actually thought that Sasori was ignoring him. If he thought about it, Sasori never ignored him when it came to serious matters. Honestly, he was glad that he could have someone like Sasori to talk to. He would almost call it a blessing.

"I don't know exactly why you two stopped being friends, but I think that if it were me, I would want to see how her life has changed and compare it to mine, to see if separation had been the right thing for the both of us."

"You're so nice, Danna, un," Deidara said wistfully as he laid back down on the sand. The sand was probably going to stick in his hair later but he never gave much consideration to such stuff. He only regretted when the damage had been done.

"Not really," Sasori said. His tone had been the same clam one throughout the entire conversation that it was starting to get on Deidara's nerves but there was still something comforting about the atmosphere and even this conversation that made him somewhat at ease. "If the separation had been good for me but not her I would care less. If the opposite happened, I would just try and make my life better without her in it."

"So you're determined not to let her back in your life again, un?"

"You have Hidan already."

"True that, un."

"What about you?"

"For me, I would only meet her if I'm sure that my life is better than hers for sure and that I have new friends who are worthier of my friendship, un," Deidara said with a small laugh.

"So it's more of revenge than anything."

"Yes, it is, un," Deidara agreed. "I'm not a very nice person, un."

"No one is. She probably feels the same."

"I don't like thinking from another person's perspective, un. It eats into my own," Deidara said. "I want to be who I am how I am with no influence from anyone, un. But that's already turning into a dream, un."

"Make it reality again."

"Danna," Deidara said in a tone which finally made Sasori turn away from the horizon to look at him. "It's not that easy, un."

"I understand."

And Sasori turned his head back.

It was at moments like these that Deidara was really glad for Sasori. Their current situations were so pathetically similar that he didn't even have to explain why he felt the way he did. If it were someone else, he could explain for a whole week and still the other person wouldn't understand, at least not the way Sasori would. He supposed that this kind of things could only be understood if someone had been through it.

Sometimes if Hidan would have been able to understand. With a pang, he realised that he knew more about Sasori than he did about Hidan. And Sasori probably knew more about him that Hidan did. He had always been idealistic. To him, a best friend was for life and he needed such a person for him to feel at ease with the world. That person didn't have to be physically with him but he needed to know that such a person was there. He knew why he was like this.

He was displacing the security that he needed from his parents onto his "best friend". What he didn't receive from his parents he needed to have elsewhere from another person. A best friend was the ideal person. He had thought that she had understood him but maybe he was too demanding. Still, nothing could change the fact that he knew that he was a selfish person for doing so.

Yet people were innately selfish. He didn't have to bear the brunt of any punishment for a quality so natural to human beings, so he didn't blame himself. And he didn't change his mind-set.

He was about to ask Sasori what the other man thought about selfishness when he noticed that Sasori was completely focused on the sea again.

"What's wrong, Danna, un? You've been staring so intensely at the horizon ever since we sat down, un," Deidara said, hoping that Sasori wouldn't lash out at him and tell him to mind his own business.

Sasori knew that he was being obvious with how much attention he was giving to the sea but he didn't feel like covering anything up. He had a feeling that Deidara was going to ask him what was wrong because he would have done the same had the blonde been the one acting so weirdly. A part of him didn't want to tell Deidara what was going on but he felt that he was obliged to after hearing a small yet significant part of the blonde's life.

"I want freedom so bad," he confessed. "And something about the horizon reminds me of that. Maybe because it's so endless and there's also the fact that it'll always be there."

"Your concept of eternity coming into play here, un?" Deidara asked, finding it funny yet understanding how Sasori felt.

He could apply his concept of transient anyway in his life if he wanted to. Even his notion of a best friend. True, he did think that a best friend was for life but he thought that a function of a best friend was transient. He only needed his best friend to be there when he needed him for that short period of time. Afterwards his best friend could disappear until he needed them again.

But he didn't feel that way about Hidan. There was just something about Hidan and this new group of friends which stopped him from thinking that way. Maybe it was because they made him feel happier than he had ever felt in years or maybe they just had some innate bond which connected them. Whatever the case, he knew that these friends were precious and that he needed now that he knew what it was like to have them.

"Eternity can be applied to everything," Sasori said simply.

Deidara didn't know why but he felt that Sasori wasn't telling him the full picture. He, unlike Sasori, never had the policy not to pry though and so went ahead.

"Is there something else you're not telling me, un?"

"There is actually but I don't feel like talking about it now."

Deidara might not be as considerate and thoughtful as Sasori was but even he knew when to stop probing. After all, he was obliged to do so, especially if it was Sasori. The older man had always allowed him his privacy and never overstepped any boundaries. He ought to do the same.

"Okay, un."

At that moment, his cell phone started vibrating in his pocket and he picked it up.

"We're meeting back at where we came from and we're going for dinner," Konan informed him even before he had the chance to say hi. "Is Sasori with you? I couldn't reach him."

"Yeah he is, un. We'll be there soon, un."

Deidara then told Sasori the plan.

"I don't feel like going," Sasori said, his eyes still focused on the horizon as ever. "Tell them Chiyo suddenly set me an assignment."

"Does she usually do that, un?" Deidara asked, thinking that Chiyo was a bitch more than ever but keeping that to himself.

"Yes."

"Okay, un. Bye."

Sasori didn't reply and Deidara wasn't even quite sure that the older man had heard him. The dark clouds were starting to gather already (probably why the others decided to leave) and Deidara wondered whether Sasori would stay there. The redhead didn't seem stupid enough to do so and risk catching pneumonia. Still, people do stupid things when engrossed in something. Deidara would know.

When Deidara met up with the others, he conveyed Sasori's message and agreed with the others how much of a bitch Chiyo was for constantly doing this. Konan was mostly annoyed that she had to pick this particular day to do so. Deidara felt a little bad that Chiyo was being cursed so badly for something she didn't even do but figured that she deserved it one way or another.

* * *

By the time Deidara got home it was already one in the morning. They had more to talk about than he thought and relating the things that happened at the hospital was surprisingly fun. He couldn't really remember what they talked about in detail but he knew they were all doing well and that was really enough. He had fun.

Still, there was a constant nagging at the back of his head. He couldn't stop thinking about Sasori. He wondered if the older man was alright. At times like those, he would actually want some company because he really hated the feeling of being alone but Sasori seemed to prefer the loneliness more.

So Deidara switched his phone off in case his hands moved faster than his brain and he ended up sending a message to Sasori. The redhead did make it kind of clear that he wanted to be left alone and he said what he felt which was a far cry from Deidara.

Sasori was strong, Deidara decided. He kind of envied him for it but he was kind of glad. At least one of them could make it out of better than the other, even if it was Sasori and not him.

It was funny what these new friends were doing to him. He was actually becoming increasingly selfless (he supposed) and it felt better than he thought it would. He fell asleep that night and slept better than he had in years.

* * *

Yay I updated "earlier"! XD You see, I totally forgot that this Friday was this week and not next week. Don't ask me how I managed to do that; I don't quite know either. OTL

And yes it is a long chapter like I promised! ^^ It's the longest ever in this story. XD I hope that you guys enjoy it! Reviews are loved! 3

Oh right a heads up! Because this year is an important academic year for me, I might not update as often as the year goes by so I hope that you guys will be patient with me! ^^ I think the chapters will be longer but the updates won't be as often? I'm not quite sure yet. :x Anyway, thanks for all the support so far! They mean a lot to me. :D


	15. Chapter 15

It was raining again when Deidara woke up on Sunday. A glance at the clock told him that it was way too early to be up – 4am, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep once he was awake. It was an annoying mechanism but he couldn't do anything about it. The plus side was that he (kind of) had more time than other people.

He hadn't been planning on doing anything that day besides lazing around at home; waking up so early made him feel that he was going to waste his day if that was what he was going to be doing. He had already finished the report for that week on Friday night when everything was still fresh in his mind, and naturally he wanted to get it out of the way so that it didn't ruin his weekend.

_I wonder what Danna is doing…_

Deidara stopped filling his mug when that thought entered his mind. That was a strange phenomenon. He didn't usually think about Sasori, especially not so early in the morning. No doubt the older man was interesting but Deidara was never one to be overly interested in people.

Maybe it was the fact that the way the rain pelted down was so similar to the downpour the day before. Or maybe it was the fact that Sasori had never left him hanging so badly before. Either ways, he knew that he wanted answers from the redhead, which was rather horrible of him, since he never promised answers to Sasori in the first place. What right had he to answers then?

He knew what it was though that made him wanted the answers so much.

At any other time, he definitely wouldn't admit it but in the safe sanctuary of his own home coupled with the comfort the earliness brought, he let himself acknowledge that it was concern. It was such a weird and somewhat new feeling. It had been a while since he actually cared about someone, Hidan aside (that man probably cast some Jashinist spell on him).

But this care was totally different. He cared about Hidan in the sense that he didn't want anything bad to happen to Hidan and that he wanted the Jashinist to know that he would always be there for him, but it was just different with Sasori.

Naturally, he didn't want any untoward to happen to the redhead either – that was just normal for any human being. But he felt that he actually wanted to know about Sasori and help the other untie any knotted strings in his heart.

It was probably because he himself had too many such knots in his own heart that he wanted to help Sasori. Their situations were, after all, so similar that anything which might help let Sasori feel better would probably have the same effect on him too. Okay, so he was selfish but somehow he realised that he didn't really mind not having his ties unknotted if Sasori's ones could be.

He was really turning nice. He wondered why he couldn't just be introverted and cold and be alone. But that was the problem, wasn't it? He didn't _want _to be alone. It scared him. The thought of loneliness haunted him. He needed to be around people or he would fall into his depressed state of mind again. Even being around people made him feel lonely because he sometimes his mind would be the devil and constantly remind him how he was actually truly in solitude because all those people were people, not friends, not people he could depend on.

But he didn't want to care about anyone which was a problem in itself because being around people naturally made him care. He didn't understand how some people could remain so closed up, so unfeeling. He envied them. If he were like them, he wouldn't be like this.

It was annoying how his phone was directly in his line of sight. He had left it on the bar counter the previous night which obviously turned out to be the wrong (and most stupid) decision because now he had the immense urge to turn it on and send a text to Sasori. Yes, at 4am in the morning. And yes, he didn't care that it might potentially annoy the older man.

But there was only so much self-control someone as impulsive as him could have.

Without a second thought, he walked over to the bar counter, snatched his phone off the top of it and turned it on. He hadn't even thought of what to ask but he figured that it would come to him when he started typing.

Before he could set about doing so though, a notification reminded him that he had a new message. He glared at it suspiciously. There were only so many people who would text him. Pein, Konan and Hidan he didn't mind. His mother and Chiyo he had a lot of issues with.

It was quite funny how he now cringed at the thought of the old woman. He had actually liked her. Not to any extreme point or anything but he certainly thought her to be nice and he definitely did owe all his medical skills to her. Still, meeting Sasori made him change his mind about her. He hadn't mind that she and his mother were quite close but now he was starting to realise that they were more similar than he thought and that instantly repulsed him. His mother scarred him _that _much.

But there was nothing he could but read the message of course or it would be on his mind all day and he wouldn't be able to do anything else, even send a simple text to Sasori. What was the worst scenario anyway? His mother would probably just send him a love (read: hate) message while Chiyo could have another one of her "surprises" again.

But the text wasn't from either of them. It was from Sasori.

Deidara was beyond shock. He had thought that Sasori would want to be all alone and definitely wouldn't send him any message or contact him in any way. This was possibly the most shocking thing that happened in his life.

And then panic took over. What if Sasori had wanted to talk to him? What if, for once, Sasori actually needed him and he wasn't there? Especially since Sasori had always been there to listen to him rant and complain. He had never felt more like a bastard as he slowly read the text.

_I'm fine, Brat._

_And I'm not stupid enough to catch a cold._

Okay.

He should have expected that. It was so typical of Sasori to send that kind of message and he started laughing because of all those stupid things he thought of. When Sasori wanted to be alone, of course he wanted to be alone. The man was so sure of himself and so clear of what he wanted that nothing would ever be able to influence him. It was so ironic that despite this he still had to force himself to go to med school.

In a way, he supposed it was more painful for Sasori than him. To know for sure that that wasn't what he wanted but to still have to choose was definitely more painful. Deidara knew that he wanted to do art too of course but he had his worries, worries that Sasori didn't have. For example, he knew he loved art but he didn't know if he would always love art. Sasori, on the other hand, would always love art.

This was the big difference between them and Deidara sometimes thought that if Sasori wanted to, he could be very happy. That thought pulled at his heart strings in weird ways. He never expected to feel sad for anyone.

Deidara replied Sasori with an 'okay' and locked his phone, placing it back onto the bar counter. It was nice of Sasori to send him a message; he didn't have any obligations to. But he probably knew that the blonde would be wondering what the heck was going on with him and that was probably the only reason why he did so.

So Sasori understood him better than he thought (and actually somewhat cared). That thought was both comforting and scary. It was nice to know that they both had a mutual understanding of each other which was rather profound in his opinion but it was rather unnerving. Because understanding someone came along with responsibilities, right? It was frightening but somehow he realised that if it were Sasori, he didn't mind that much.

They were too similar after all.

His mind suddenly wandered to the locked room in Sasori's house. Ever since he saw it, he couldn't help but wonder what it contained. It was a given that it was Sasori's artworks that were in the room but he didn't know exactly what kind of artworks they were. Come to think of it, despite all their quarrels, they never actually talked about the actually pieces they make.

He supposed it was too close to the heart and if they were talking about them, it would seem that they could actually start working on them again. No. They had to remain where they were. A dream. In limbo. Wherever. Just not in this real world with them. In this world, it was med school that mattered. Med school, Chiyo and his mother.

Again, he found Sasori more pitiable. Sasori must really have a lot of self-control to be able to resist not opening that door at all despite looking at it every day. Deidara's artworks never lasted long so there was never a need to store them. There were no physical objects which could trigger any urge to start making art. His art tools were in a box somewhere far away from him. He made sure of that.

In the end, he decided to start on his assignments which weren't due until two months later. Chiyo had given them to him early because of the internship and was afraid that he wouldn't have time to finish them but he had a feeling that he was going to turn them in even before she released them to the year ones. He wasn't a workaholic by any means but he sure as hell felt like one right now.

It was well into the afternoon by the time Deidara completed all his assignments, and that was including some extra research he did. He wasn't a show off but he thought that the research would just make his essay make all the more sense and that was why he did it. Besides, knowing more never hurts.

Anyway, the point was that he was bored and after accomplishing so much he felt that it would be a waste to spend the rest of the day lazing away. More than anything, he should really find something to eat but he wasn't really that hungry so he didn't care. He just wanted to get out of his house. It was becoming unbearably suffocating.

So he pulled his hair up into its usual half ponytail, tossed on a sweater over a random shirt and stepped into a pair of jeans before almost running out of his house. These bouts of loneliness were going to kill him someday if they haven't already. He felt like a corpse whenever he wasn't around people, but that isn't to say that having company was any better. His friends were the only ones who made him feel alive now.

No matter how much he hated it and wished it to be different, art wasn't exactly a source of comfort anymore. It was more of an added pressure now. That was terrible in his opinion but life wasn't exactly fair.

The sky was cloudy again and that definitely cheered Deidara up. He liked to think that he was in tune with nature and this was seemingly proof of it though he knew that it was just mere coincidence. Because the weather was so similar to that of the previous day's, Deidara felt that it was natural to head to the beach again.

It wasn't as if he was going to gain some epiphany on Sasori's life but he just felt that he should go there. Really, he had to stop doing things based on his feelings but then again logic had never helped him before. Look where he ended up – med school. Though it was arguably because of his feelings for his mother that he decided to lock himself up in that prison. Nonetheless, there was no doubt that he did feel that med school was the "safer" path too.

The beach was empty. That wasn't exactly shocking since there was already a light drizzle descending upon the earth. Anyway, the point was that Deidara was elated that there wasn't a single soul around. He might hate being alone and depressing thoughts might start creeping up on him, but for now, he wanted solitude. He just wanted to be alone with himself and his thoughts.

He took the same path he and Sasori had taken the previous but he definitely went further than they did the day before because he spotted a little cave nearby. He would take refuge there later if the rain became too heavy. Now, he was just too contented to sit on the shore and think about everything and nothing at all.

The drizzle turned into a full out downpour within minutes and Deidara's clothes were soaked to his skin within seconds but he couldn't find any motivation to remove himself to shelter. It was strangely comforting and surreal to sit in the storm and stare out at the crashing waves. A slightly morbid thought crossed his mind and he wondered how it would be like to be dragged into the abyss of darkness that was the ocean. Unconsciously he shifted nearer to the water.

He had wanted to move just a little bit at first but somehow he ended up so dangerously near that the waves were lapping at his legs. Just a little more and he was sure that he would be carried away by the waves off to the depths of the ocean where, he was certain, nothing existed.

"Brat, I know I'm not stupid but I never pegged you down as an idiot either."

Sasori's voice wrenched him away from his morose fantasy and he hastily stood up. He was about to say something in reply when he saw the look on Sasori's face. Despite the outward appearance of amusement, there was an element of anger and (if he wasn't dreaming) even worry hiding beneath that fake exterior.

"There's a cave over there, un," Deidara said but Sasori had already started walking towards it before the sentence was even completed. Deidara rolled his eyes but followed without complaining.

"What are you doing here?" Sasori asked. He sounded so normal, normal as in emotionless, that Deidara almost thought that the anger on Sasori's face was just his imagination if not for the fact that the older man's eyes were still burning with that particular emotion.

"It's not really any of your business is it, un?" Deidara asked, raising an eyebrow and setting himself down at the edge of the cave so that he could still feel the splatter of the rain against his face.

His hair tie was tugging at the roots of his hair in an almost painful way and he pulled it off, probably along with some hair but he didn't really care. Now that the left side of his face was obscured by his hair, he couldn't see Sasori anymore but he figured that he would rather not look at the older man. Why was he even angry anyway?

"I could almost think you're stalking me," Sasori said. It was probably meant as a joke, thought it didn't sound like one. Sasori was probably trying to diffuse his anger.

"In my defence, Hidan found this place, un," Deidara replied, too tired to even try to sound like his usual (fake) happy self. Besides, he realised that it had been quite a long time that he had used that artificial tone with Sasori. Damn, he really was getting too used to the other.

Sasori didn't reply and when Deidara felt brave enough to steal a glance, he saw that the redhead was sitting opposite him except that he was sitting deeper in the cave so that the rain didn't reach him. His eyes were closed and Deidara would have thought he was sleeping if not for the fact that he knew that Sasori never let his guard down. Ever.

"Why are you angry, un?" Deidara asked, almost regretting it when Sasori's eyes shot open and a glare was immediately focused on him.

Yeah, Deidara kind of suspected that they weren't so close as to ask each other about everything yet but if the anger was directed at him, then he had a right to know, even if he wasn't directly the source of it.

He told Sasori just that and the redhead rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. Deidara didn't say anything else. They had an unspoken policy of not prying after all. It was mostly because of Sasori and his hatred of that act but Deidara didn't have a problem with following it.

Honestly, Deidara was expecting Sasori to tell him eventually. After all, things have always been that way between them. They would ask, leave the other alone afterwards, and the other would eventually bend. It was scary how this worked actually. Sooner or later there wouldn't be any secrets between them.

Quite a while past before Sasori finally said something and it was completely unexpected.

"Do you know how my parents died?"

"No, un. You never told me."

Deidara really wanted to ask Sasori to elaborate now because he was just that curious but this topic was too sensitive and even he knew to leave Sasori alone.

"They drowned."

And then it suddenly made sense to Deidara why Sasori was so angry. It must have looked like he was trying to commit suicide by drowning just now and that probably triggered Sasori's memory of his parents which was the reason for his anger.

"Is that why you were so detached yesterday, un?" Deidara asked tentatively.

Proper behaviour dictates that he should look at someone when they were speaking but somehow he felt that Sasori didn't want him to look at him. He was glad that he decided to take off his hair tie; it would be hard to not attempt to look at Sasori without his hair conveniently blocking the other man.

"Yeah," Sasori breathed out and Deidara never heard Sasori express so much emotion before as he did in that one word which practically meant nothing.

_Danna must have loved his parents…_

"The day they died was pretty much like yesterday… and today actually. They were on a cruise for their wedding anniversary when the ship sank," Sasori said in his usual emotionless tone but this time the pain in his voice was barely concealable.

Deidara didn't know exactly how painful it was for Sasori to talk about his parents but he could just imagine the extent. There was a reason why this was the first time the redhead mentioned his parents after all. And the lack of details about the shipwreck proved it even further. Knowing Sasori, he would have dug out all the information about it and he probably knew every single thing that happened but he probably didn't want to revisit it too much.

"I was five when it happened. When they died, I just felt it. Even up till now, I don't know why but my life just suddenly felt so empty, so much so that when the news reached me I just realised that I already knew."

"They must have loved you a lot, un."

"Yeah, they must have," Sasori replied in a barely audible whisper.

Deidara didn't know what to say. He had never experienced any parental love that he could boast off and hence never actually bothered about the entire concept. To him, it was a thing that existed in fairy tales. Unreal. The end.

There was no way he could empathise with Sasori and somehow that thought was more heart-breaking. Because it wasn't as if he didn't have parents. His mother practically lived at his workplace so it wasn't as if he was separated from her either. Yet, he didn't exactly see her as his mother. It was a horrible thought, but he thought that he wouldn't mind his mother dying if it could bring Sasori's parents back.

Sasori was silent, and he knew that he shouldn't but Deidara stole a peak at Sasori and what he saw was almost enough to send tears to his eyes. Without a doubt, there was a lone tear making its way down Sasori's cheek. It was so typical of Sasori. There was no way he would start bawling or let all his tears out. He just didn't do excessive things like that. Deidara turned to look out at the beach before Sasori could even suspect that he was discovered.

It was ridiculous. What was Sasori to him? An ally. A friend. An confidante at most. There was no plausible explanation as to why Sasori shedding one tear could make him feel like crying when even his mother's sudden arrival didn't even bring him close to tears.

Maybe it was because he had kind of placed Sasori on a pedestal without even realising it. To him, Sasori was actually really perfect. They were in the same situation, yes, but Deidara had always thought that Sasori was coping so much better than him.

Even though it was obvious that the fact that Sasori couldn't do art was hurting him as much as it was hurting Deidara, he never thought that Sasori was actually really pained by it. He thought too highly of Sasori, so much that he might have actually dehumanised him in that sense. There was nothing but guilt that he felt now.

"What are you thinking of, Brat?"

Sasori sounded so normal that it almost created an illusion that everything was fine. But Deidara couldn't forget what he saw and what that meant for him.

He opened his mouth to reply but his words came out as a choke. Without realising it, he had actually started crying. This was really stupid. He wasn't supposed to be so emotionally vulnerable. He just didn't work that way. He almost felt like screaming at himself to get a grip. Luckily the rain was raging so loudly that Sasori couldn't hear anything. He quickly wiped away his years, acting as if he was wiping away the rain on his face before turning to Sasori.

"I'm thinking that you're human, un," Deidara replied with a slight smile.

"What did you take me for previously?" Sasori asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Something akin to a god I suppose," Deidara answered and laughed when Sasori started looking just a tad bit freaked out.

"You sound like one of my rabid fangirls," Sasori said.

"You're just upset I'm not worshipping you like they are, un," Deidara shot back with a mischievous wink which made Sasori crack a small smile.

"Your logic is flawed, Brat."

"I'm just glad you even think that I have logic, Danna, un."

"You must have some logic to get into med school."

"True that, un."

They fell silent afterwards and things felt almost normal again, but Deidara knew that things have changed, at least for him. Sasori might not know anything since he didn't know what Deidara saw but the younger one couldn't pretend that nothing happened.

One thing that he can't deny was that he was afraid. Sasori meant more to him than he had initially thought and the last time he had felt so much for some (his best friend), he had been hurt so badly that he hadn't wanted to trust anyone but himself. But now it seems that Sasori was starting to become someone that he really trusted and possibly even sincerely cared about. It was a bit too much for him to take and he was resolved to not let that happen.

He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn't realised that Sasori had shifted so that he was directly opposite him and he almost screamed when he looked up only to meet Sasori's hazel eyes.

"You think too much," Sasori commented after a while, his eyes still fixed on Deidara.

The blonde had long looked away. Looking Sasori in the eye was way too scary (who cares if one of his eyes was blocked by his hair?) though he would never let the older man know despite the nagging suspicion that Sasori already knew anyway. His eyes were cast outwards towards the beach.

"That's ironic, coming from you, un," Deidara replied.

"I think we have to clear something up, Brat," Sasori said in a tone so amused that Deidara felt compelled to look at him.

"What, un?"

"I don't think."

"What?" Deidara repeated, this time sounding more incredulous. Sasori didn't think? That had to be the biggest lie he had ever heard.

"I usually let nature take its course," Sasori said with a small smile. "It's easier that way."

"It's not that easy, un," Deidara replied as he turned back to look at the beach.

Sasori didn't say anything after that and Deidara didn't see the need to strike up any conversation either. It was comfortable, sitting in the cave which was practically in the middle of nowhere, with the storm covering them from the rest of the world. It felt so good not to have to think about anything. Maybe this was what Sasori meant.

But Deidara knew for a fact that the only reason so many things weren't running through his mind right now was because he was away from the real world. Once he was back there, there would be too many things to think about. He wouldn't even be able to stop them to catch a breath.

Once again he was so caught up with himself that he didn't realise that Sasori had moved. He only registered Sasori's presence when his hair was shifted away from his face and he suddenly found himself staring right into Sasori's hazel orbs.

From there he realised that Sasori was practically right in front of him. Usually he would immediately push him away because he was just anal about his personal space like that but he was so shocked that he couldn't do anything.

"Don't think too much," Sasori said with a tone of finality before standing up and walking out of the cave.

It was only when Sasori was completely gone that Deidara even realised what he said. He let out a breath that he hadn't even known that he was holding and sighed.

"Danna, it's really not that easy, un," he muttered, the cold wind being his only solace.

* * *

Firstly, I must apologise that this is so late! I just realised that it's a month since I last updated and I'm feeling really guilty about that. D: So sorry!

But anyway, I guess you could say this chapter is kind of like the starting of their relationship becoming something more? XD

Still, I hope you enjoyed it anyway! ^^ Please review. :D


	16. Chapter 16

5th May.

It was Deidara's birthday.

Sasori had been at this for a while now and a glance at the sun told him that the morning was almost over. It surely took up a lot of time and effort, and it was something Sasori had never envisioned himself ever doing, but in the end, he just felt that it was worth it.

With one last look at his work, he let a smile of satisfaction grace his lips and headed home.

* * *

By the time Sasori had finished all the extra assignments Chiyo had set him for the week and some extra research to fuel his own knowledge it was already well into the afternoon. He was kind of annoyed that Chiyo had set him so much work despite the fact that she had assured that she wouldn't, taking his internship into account and all, but he should have known that she wouldn't actually adhere to her promise.

He did not mind the extra work so much as he minded how she always pretended to be this loving grandmother when in fact her innermost desire was just for him to succeed as a surgeon. Sometimes he wanted to just leave and let her down. The worst thing was that he knew that he couldn't and he supposed that she knew it too. What other reason could account for her lack of moderation?

Whatever the case, he didn't want to dwell on that day. There was something more important to do after all.

Sasori didn't know if Deidara had already made plans with Hidan or whoever, but he didn't really care. He just instinctively went to the blonde's house. It was a Sunday after all, so Deidara would definitely not be at the hospital. They tended to avoid that place as much as possible.

* * *

Deidara had spent the entire day at home. He had finished everything he was tasked with on Friday night as usual, leaving his weekends free and with nothing to do, not that he was complaining. He was definitely not going to touch or see anything related to medicine today. It was his birthday after all; he had every right to reward himself.

Honestly, he had wanted to go to the art store to pick up some supplies and maybe create some art but that wouldn't do. He would definitely get so absorbed in it that he wouldn't want to go back to the hospital the next day which his mother would immediately find out about because she had miraculously made friends with all the nurses assigned to her.

Actually, it wasn't all that miraculous because his mother was really nice to people who weren't her son. Really, what were the chances? He would probably have loved her a lot if he had just been a son of a friend's.

Though, she didn't seem to like Sasori either which was a small comfort to him. He felt just a tad bit guilty for feeling that way but there wasn't any reason why he shouldn't. He could only be concerned about Sasori when he was in the condition to care right?

That was a really selfish thought and Deidara instantly felt guilty for thinking that way. Sasori was the only other person besides Hidan who really treated him nicely. True that kindness was always buried beneath a thick layer of sarcasm and a whole lot of bantering between the two of them, but he knew that Sasori would always have his back, and that was something which was rare to come by.

More than that, he was the one who truly understood Deidara without the blonde needing to explain anything. Okay, he didn't have to explain the more serious stuff; Sasori didn't appreciate his weird antics as much as Hidan did.

It was queer that they were so close now. Deidara had never in his life thought that he would allow someone to get so close to him again. Hidan was his best friend and he would tell Hidan everything but he just knew that there were things that Hidan wouldn't understand that Sasori would immediately get. Maybe it was unfair to Hidan, but honestly there was nothing he could do. That was the usual upsetting reality.

Deidara's heart almost stopped beating when the bell rang. There was no reason for anyone to come visit him that day. The only person he could think of was Chiyo and while he would have been very happy in the past if she were to celebrate his birthday with him, recent events have led him to change his opinions about her. It really didn't matter that he was sounding ungrateful; he didn't care.

Resigning himself to fate (sitting with her through one meal wasn't so bad he supposed), he opened the door and was about to greet her really cheerfully when he saw her grandson instead. He frowned immediately; he did not remember being assigned with Sasori for any project or anything recently.

"Danna, what the fuck, un?" Deidara asked incredulously. The redhead was standing in front of the door with his usual impassive face on.

"Good evening to you too, Brat," Sasori greeted back and stared pointedly at the blonde.

"Right…" Deidara said and moved to let the older man in. "What are you doing here, un?"

"It's your birthday," Sasori said as a matter-of-factly, looking at the blonde as if he was retarded which, in his opinion, wasn't really that far off from the truth, and Deidara probably knew that, judging from the way he was glaring at Sasori.

"Why, pray tell, do you know that, un? You stalker," he added for good measures.

"I'm not a stalker, I just read if off your profile which Chiyo gave me when she first informed us of you joining me for the internship, and it is no fault of mine that I have a good memory as it is no fault of yours that the opposite holds," Sasori replied simply.

Deidara looked as if he was about to retort but in the end didn't. He settled for rolling his eyes before sitting on the couch next to Sasori. Damn, he was really becoming more tolerant to Sasori. Usually he would letting loose a whole range of insults by now, and they would engage in some senseless verbal war which would take forever to finish, usually only stopped by Kakuzu, Hidan, or Konan, or all three of them combined. He was quite glad though; those silly fights took up way too much time.

Letting out a long sigh, he leaned back against the couch and let himself sink into it, all the while staring at Sasori in suspicion. There was really no reason for Sasori to be there. Celebrate his birthday? No way.

"I can feel joy emanating off you," Sasori said, ignoring the look the blonde was giving him.

"Since it's my birthday, shouldn't you treat me nicer, un?"

"Where are your friends anyway?"

"Birthdays are more trouble than it's worth, un," Deidara groaned. "It's just a normal day."

"Hence justifying my _normal _treatment of you," Sasori replied, unable to keep the smirk off his face.

"Fine, Danna, you win, un."

"Doesn't Hidan know though?" Sasori asked. He knew that Deidara really meant it when he said that birthdays were troublesome, but he also knew for a fact how important Hidan was to the blonde. It just seemed uncanny that Hidan wasn't told.

"Hidan knows but he has some project that's going to take up his whole day. He says he's making up for it tomorrow, un."

"Have you eaten yet?" Sasori asked.

"I'm not hungry un."

"Brat, let's go somewhere. I have something to show you."

The suspicion that was slowly leaving Deidara came back immediately. Sasori was really going to celebrate his birthday, and no offense to the redhead, but he couldn't think of anything that would make him happy instead of annoyed.

Sasori noticed the apprehension the blonde felt (it showed on his face clearly enough) and he rolled his eyes. Really, was him being nice so otherworldly? Okay, so he knew a few, fine, a lot of people who might think so but Deidara was… different. And Deidara should know that, because it was obvious that Sasori wasn't the type to run around telling everyone in sight his life story.

"Are you going to show me some awesome heart surgery, un?" Deidara asked eventually as he walked over to get a jacket to throw over himself.

"It's so much better than that, Brat."

Deidara knew that he should still feel suspicious that Sasori was actually doing something for him on his birthday willingly and without expecting anything in return, and he knew that he should probably feel even a tad bit vexed that Sasori was actually there on his birthday when he knew that he hated birthday celebrations, but he couldn't deny the excitement that was bubbling in his heart and the imminent prospect of happiness that he knew that he would be feeling.

It was weird that he was feeling so interested, but his feelings were still paradoxical because he couldn't imagine this night turning out as good as he wanted it to be and that it was probably end in weird disappointment, so maybe he was still alright after all. Damn, why were his emotions always so mixed up?

He stole a glance at Sasori as they were waiting for the elevator and felt a little envy at the clam demeanour he displayed. He was certain that Sasori always knew what he was feeling and even if it was human nature to have contradictory feelings, he just somehow knew that Sasori would have a way of figuring them out properly.

Deidara didn't know where Sasori was taking him so he just followed the older man blindly and mentally prepared himself to be surprised and happy. He wasn't leaving any room for disappointment this time. There were too many tragic things in his life already and he would be damned if Sasori failed to live up to his expectations.

Maybe he was expecting too much from him but he couldn't help it. There must be some strange force in the universe which ensured that they met because they were just so similar to each other and yet so different. And of course there was the fact that they were in practically the same situation. No matter how many times Deidara repeated this to himself, it still felt so surreal. After all, it just felt good to know that he wasn't alone.

"Danna, where are we going, un?" he had to ask, just to annoy Sasori.

"Somewhere," Sasori replied in that calm tone of his.

Damn, Deidara was hoping to get some clue out of his answer as well but Sasori was not letting anything up. He wondered if it would be something related to art. To tell the truth, that would be the only thing that would make him happy, beyond all joys actually, but he knew that that was too unrealistic.

They had an unspoken pact not to touch art after all.

It was pathetic how they had to restrain themselves from doing the things they loved because of two people who probably did not even care about them and who certainly loved them less than they loved art. Still, Sasori and Deidara just couldn't let go of them. They just mattered.

This was comfortable, Deidara decided. Walking in the streets with Sasori without feeling the need to say anything and just moving around with no destination in mind (at least on his part) was comfortable. It was a nice feeling; he felt that he didn't have anything to worry about.

For a moment, he felt like a normal person just living his life in an all too ordinary manner with a typical loving family. That was definitely something that he had never had in his entire life, but the funny thing was that despite how perfect it was, Deidara knew that he wouldn't want that kind of life.

It was too normal after all, and he didn't settle for anything less than exceptional. Anyway, with his temperament, he supposed that a fleeting bliss would make him infinitely happier than a lifelong promise of joy.

Deidara was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realise that they were already well away from the city area and were quite alone on a path up a hill. Deidara recognised the place. It was one of his favourite locations for taking a quiet stroll and having some time for himself. He wondered why more people did not frequent it though; it was truly a lovely place. But it was the serenity that first drew him to it anyway.

"We're here," Sasori announced and there was something in his voice that was akin to pride that made Deidara grow even more curious and excited as to what his present was. Sasori was definitely confident. But then again, when was he not?

"I don't see anything, un," Deidara said plainly, and it was true. There was nothing in sight for miles.

"Patience, Brat," Sasori replied, sounding much too calm. Usually he would have snapped by then.

"Danna, you're one to talk about patience, un."

"Hmm."

Deidara was seriously getting worried. Sasori does not react so coolly to such a remark. He just doesn't.

"Danna, I really appreciate the fact that you've actually done something for my birthday but I think this unnatural kind act of yours has probably burnt your brain, or maybe it's the first sign that your brain is seriously damaged and in need of immediate medical attention, un. Gosh, I think you might have an aneurysm, un."

"Shut up, Brat," Sasori replied and there was the familiar edge in his voice. Deidara was immensely relived, more than immensely relived.

"Glad you're alright, un."

Sasori rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Wait here."

Deidara was about to protest because like hell he was going to be stranded alone but Sasori was already gone because he even got the first word out of his mouth. Talk about fast. He was started to think that this was some big joke and that it was Sasori's way of getting back at him for being so annoying all the time… not that he agreed with that.

It was actually kind of humourous actually if that was really the case. Sure, it might seem cruel to play such an evil prank on him on his birthday but that was what made it all the more interesting.

He was so amused and convinced that that was the plan that he almost jumped up in shock when a loud sound blasted through the silent night. He was about to let out a stream of curses when a flurry of colours exploded before his eyes in the night sky.

He gaped at it in shock for a moment before his lips slowly curled into a smirk. So _this _was his birthday present.

_Fireworks. _

It was beautiful. They were way better than any Deidara had ever seen in his life and even better than some he had originally created himself (though he admitted that begrudgingly), and Deidara was further amused that the fireworks were particularly loud, almost like explosions.

But they only sounded that loud from where he was standing so he was sure that the people in the streets below were just enjoying themselves with the array of widespread colours and sparkles in the sky, decorating the blanket of darkness with an eruption of life.

"Like it?"

Sasori's smug voice was really grating but Deidara found that the happiness that he was feeling was more than enough to override that.

"Love it, un. Love it."

* * *

After that, they took a stroll in the town again, enjoying the wild excitement that was bubbling everywhere. Everyone was talking about the fireworks that they saw and they were exclaiming about how beautiful they were and what not. Of course there were also weird speculations about its purpose, like whether it was a marriage proposal. That one made them laugh and in effect caused the couple to glare at them, but they couldn't help it.

The most apparent thing that came out of their little walk was Sasori's ego was stroked to its maximum and there was no ripping that self-satisfied smirk off his face. Deidara swore that he had never seen Sasori with an expression on his face for such a long time. He mostly wore a blank face which Deidara was too used to, so much so that he was finding the smirk a bit too creepy.

"So tell me, Danna, was that my birthday present or you showing off, un?"

"Both," Sasori replied a bit too cheerfully for Deidara's liking.

He was starting to think that Sasori had really gone mad, and he really wanted him to stop smirking, mostly because it was annoying him but also because it was really creepy. He knew that he shouldn't say it but he did anyway.

"You only chose fireworks because that's the only form of art you know that's fleeting, right, un?" Deidara asked with a raised eyebrow and almost burst out laughing at how fast the smirk was wiped off Sasori's face.

"No," he said, giving Deidara a sideway glance. "I chose it because it's the most expression and is the noisiest. You know how much you like noise. Brat."

"I like the quiet too, un," Deidara said instead of picking on Sasori like he initially wanted to. The fireworks were really beautiful and the best birthday present he had ever received so he wasn't going to dampen Sasori's mood in return. That would be too ungrateful and horrible of him.

"But your love for noises is unrivalled," Sasori replied swiftly.

"It's just that your love for the quiet is unparalleled, un. I think you should work in a morgue."

Sasori gave Deidara a look which showed just how amused he was at that idea though he did agree that a morgue was one of the most silent places he knew. Other places were just crawling with humans… who talked too much. Konan was really a prime example.

"You know Danna…" and there was something in Deidara's voice that made Sasori stop walking to turn to look at him.

The previous smile that he had been wearing the whole night was gone, replaced by a more solemn look. But a look into his eyes revealed a sense of anticipation beneath a thin layer of fear and anxiety. For some reason, Sasori already had inkling what this was going to lead to.

He urged him to continue, knowing fully well what he was agreeing to.

"Actually, Danna, there are more forms of fleeting arts besides fireworks, un."

"I know that," Sasori replied stubbornly even though they both knew that he really didn't. He was too absorbed in his own art to actually research thoroughly about other forms of art, especially one that was so different from his own. The opposite in fact.

"I'm sure you do, un," Deidara said, the sarcasm slipping out though he hadn't planned it.

"I really do, Brat."

"It's not like I'm underestimating you or anything, un."

"I'm sure you're not."

"Now _you're _being sarcastic, un, Danna!"

"So?"

They were running out of things to say, especially since their minds were so preoccupied with what they were planning to do. The question was, should they?

It would definitely be a risk. A gamble. Maybe even more than they could handle.

"That's a stupid comeback, Danna, un. What does 'so' mean anyway?"

"It doesn't mean anything. I hate it too actually."

"My mother loves to use it on me."

"Chiyo-baasan too."

"Right," Deidara started, because he could no longer stand it and the mention of those very two people was just what he needed to push him over the edge. "About the other art forms I was talking about…"

He wanted to say it and he needed to say it. But it was almost too much. He had, after all, spent so much time resisting that it almost became normal… but that was a lie. Every day was torture. But he knew that mostly it was Sasori that was stopping him. He didn't want to be the one to drag Sasori into this.

"Would you care to show it to me?"

Deidara looked up at Sasori in astonishment. He certainly wasn't expecting Sasori to say that, but he must have known what he was offering from the way he held Deidara's eyes so steadily. He was about to ask him whether he really knew what he was saying when Sasori interrupted him.

"Don't ask."

An understanding passed between them. Right, they would both take responsibility for it and not blame the other for anything. Damn it, if there was anyone to blame, it would be his mother and Chiyo, not either of them. They had to start living for themselves while they were living for them.

"Actually I do want to show it to you, un. Would you care to show me yours too, un?"

"Sure, Brat."

They couldn't stop the smile that started making its way onto their lips.

It felt good to be losing themselves that night.

* * *

I'm so sorry for it being so late! D: I realise that this has been happening often... and that it's definitely not the 5th of May anymore, and that we're way into June but just ignore that. XD I wanted to get this up by Deidara's birthday but obviously that failed. OTL

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter though! I certainly enjoyed writing it and it has a different feel from the rest of the chapters, so I hope that doesn't throw anyone off!

Tell me what you think about it and thanks so much for reading! 3


	17. Chapter 17

"You know what we're getting ourselves into, right, un?" Deidara asked Sasori as they left the bustling town behind them for a second time that night, each holding a bag of their own art supplies they had picked out at the art store.

It had been strangely exhilarating and thrilling and they had felt much like children sneaking off to the candy store after school without telling their parents and the excitement laid in the fact that they might have been caught any time, though they were sure that their "punishments" would be way more severe than a simple scolding. Still, despite that threat looming over their heads, they took their time choosing the materials they wanted. If they were only going to have one chance at this, they were going to make their art perfect, in every sense of the word.

Though, the fact that they were practically concealed was probably the reason why they felt so safe. The only way to look into the art store would be through the transom which would require a fair bit of height and a lot of obvious peering. The display window blocked everything else of course. The art store was like a cozy little house. At any rate, it surely felt like home.

"Into a black hole, except that the black hole is really more like heaven," Sasori replied with a brief comforting smile. He wasn't going to back out on his decision; it was too cowardly to do so, and if Deidara needed someone to convince him, he didn't mind being that person (besides the fact that he's the only person who could anyway).

Maybe it was wrong of him to do that, to be the tempter and lead Deidara into this. It was really nothing more than escapism at the moment and while he thought that he actually had the strength to draw himself away from it after that night, he wasn't sure that Deidara was the same. This surge of certainty he felt was completely new anyway.

He had been so afraid before that even a moment of art would pull him into it so much that he wouldn't be able to focus on medicine, but now he knew that that wasn't the case. He had just been a coward before. He didn't have the courage to do what he liked – loved – because he was just terrified that Chiyo would find out and what her reaction would be. He didn't want to disappoint her, but tonight he decided and realised that she wasn't the person he didn't want to disappoint; it was Deidara.

If Deidara had any difficulty coming out of that fantasy land that they were going to erect for themselves, Sasori would be there to help him and he was more than certain that he would be able to do a good job at it. Anyway, by assuming, he knew that Deidara wanted this as badly as he did, and that Deidara could definitely pull himself out of it.

What were the chances that of all assumptions he made about Deidara, these two would be the only wrong ones? He wasn't about to break his perfect score. He never did.

"I wish heaven doesn't have an exit door, un," Deidara muttered but Sasori caught it all the same.

"It doesn't have to have one," Sasori replied, choosing to look ahead even when he felt Deidara tilting his head slightly to look at him with a questioning gaze.

Sasori didn't elaborate and Deidara eventually looked away. He probably got it. They could lock themselves in heaven in time to come; now just wasn't it.

"You know, we can just throw all these away and pretend the last two hours didn't happen, un," Deidara said and he sounded so serious that Sasori almost believed him for a moment. The lack of conviction in his voice was all it needed to convince Sasori that he wasn't actually too inclined to doing that. In fact, he was probably aghast at the mere thought.

The brat probably just wanted confirmation that _Sasori _wanted this. The redhead almost burst out into laughter right then and he would have done so if he hadn't already been behaving so out of character the whole day. The blonde might just have enough reason to drag him to the psych floor the next day. But really, Deidara being insecure was too hilarious.

"Where did the confident Iwa Deidara go?" he asked with a slight smirk which earned him a glare.

"I was concerned about _your _fragile nerve, Danna, un," he retorted, eyes flashing in annoyance.

"You have nothing to worry about then. I'm better than fine."

"Do you really want to do this, un?"

Sasori gave Deidara a look which conveyed how much that yes, he really wanted to do this, and how annoyed he will be if Deidara didn't stop acting like a lost child. Deidara rolled his eyes in response and murmured something inaudible under his breath. Sasori let it slide, but only because he was feeling kind.

"Right, if you really want to do this, then where do you suggest we do it, un?" Deidara asked sceptically.

"Why do you sound like you're coming up with excuses to get out of this?" Sasori asked. His patience was running thin and he was actually certain that Deidara wanted this too. If he didn't, then he was fine to walk away. Sasori wasn't going to change his mind.

"It was an innocent enough question, un," Deidara said, rolling his eyes again. "If we're doing, I want to do it properly."

Okay, so it was true that Sasori didn't have anywhere in mind, and he most definitely couldn't use his apartment because his security guard might tell Chiyo what he had been up to. He wasn't a tattle-tale by any means, but he was an active chatterer and Chiyo loved to chat with him to find out more about her beloved grandson.

"Fine, I don't have a place in mind."

"Thank God for me then, un," Deidara said with a wide smirk on his face. Sasori was wondering why exactly (because he thinks that that wasn't exactly something to thank God for) but he was just too glad that the usual Deidara was back.

"Why?" Sasori demanded after too many seconds of silence.

Deidara just laughed in response and that resulted in a glare thrown his way from Sasori. Really, the redhead thought that he had already waited long enough just to come to this decision to touch his art again. He was in no mood and he certainly didn't have the patience to wait any longer than necessary.

"I was waiting for you to ask that, un," Deidara said and laughed some more but stopped abruptly when he realised that Sasori was more than unamused. "I know just the place, un."

"And where exactly is that?" Sasori asked, feeling just a bit worried that the place would be too far away. Yes, they had tonight to do whatever they wanted and they were free to let themselves be happier than they have ever been in years, but they were still firmly attached to reality. They still had to return to the hospital the next day.

"It's near, un," Deidara assured him though there was a hint of sourness in his voice. Apparently he wasn't all that enchanted as well and still remembered their commitments.

Sasori wanted to find out more but he realised that he really didn't want to wait any longer. Anyway, if Deidara said that it was near and that he was confident enough that they wouldn't be late the next day, who was he to doubt it? He certainly did trust Deidara.

"What are you waiting for, Brat? Lead the way."

Deidara started smiling and Sasori found himself relaxing more and becoming slightly happier again now that they weren't so tense. The fact that their plans were actually going to come true soon in a matter of minutes (he hoped) was more than enough to let him feel joy as well.

"As impatient as ever, Danna, as impatient as ever."

Deidara hadn't been lying when he said that the place was near, not that Sasori doubted him. The surprisingly thing was that they didn't even have to turn around or anything because the place that Deidara had in mind was on that particular hill.

Sasori found that slightly weird because he had been to that hill more times than he could count and while he admitted that it was a pretty much secluded place, he didn't find any spot which he found useful for the creation of art. Well, he supposed that the house located the top of the hill was an ideal place for working, what with the scenery and breeze and all, but that was out of question obviously.

When they stopped in front of that particular deserted small house located at the top of the hill, Sasori contemplated killing the blonde.

"Brat, the place you're talking about is not this house."

Deidara raised a curious eyebrow at Sasori.

"Why not, un?"

"Because this house isn't yours and using it will be considered trespassing and I, for one, am not going to be found guilty of that charge."

"Have you ever seen the owner around, un?"

"No, but that's no reason to go barging into the house."

"That's 'cause the owner is me, Danna, un."

"You mean after you kill the owner?"

"No, I mean now."

Naturally Sasori was shocked. As usual, the blonde was full of surprises though he had to admit that this was the best one so far. Still, it didn't eradicate any of the shock Sasori was feeling. More than the fact that Deidara was the owner of the house, the thing that caused Sasori to be so stunned was because he, on more than one occasion, found himself wondering about the owner of that particular house.

It was no secret to anyone who knew him how much he liked this particular hill, it being away from the general crowd and all, so naturally he would spend some of his free time there. It wasn't exactly his favourite spot but it was near to his house so he supposed that it convenience played a part, not that he would mind travelling 4 hours to get away from the world.

The house had caught his attention of course. The owner was never around and of course the most prominent rumour that arose from that situation was that the house was haunted. Some kids had, on more than one occasion, tried to break into the house to take at the "red-headed ghost" which was said to reside inside, but all to no avail. Some had simply freaked out and ran away, while others simply couldn't find a way to climb the Palisade gate. The only way to really get into the house was to climb the tree beside it and drop from the branch which was so long it extended past the gate. Though, no one was actually brave enough to try it because the way down was rather long.

Though, it was the one incident which scared off anyone else from attempting to trespass into the estate and which he saw personally that sparked the most curiosity in him and he found himself starting to think about the owner.

Some boys had actually (finally) picked up the courage to try said method only to run away like panicked chickens when a bomb went off. It was actually only a minute explosion (if it could even be called that) which sent a few stones flying and its only redeeming feature was the fiercely loud sound it produced. Whatever the case, the intended effect was obtained and no one tried to enter again.

Sasori had been obviously amused. The kids failing to get over the gate was amusing but this was on an entirely new level. Being curious as he was, of course he would start wondering about the owner of the house and the creator of that bomb.

He had never attached any name or appearance to the owner in his imagination. All he thought about was the situation the owner was in. He had imagined that the owner was someone who was in the same shoes as him, except that he had made the choice to run away, to escape the house which had held him captive. It was really just to make himself feel better, to know that there was a possibility of getting out of his own situation some day and to be free.

The irony here of course was that the owner was really in exactly the same pair of shoes as him; the owner didn't manage to escape. The owner was still very much in captive. That thought was depressing to say the least, because he had unconsciously been making that very owner his hope of leaving medicine behind some day and soon, but now that hope was dashed. Still, he did feel a bit of happiness that he wasn't alone.

"Are you going to just stand there and gawk like an idiot, or are you going to move, un?" Deidara snapped.

Sasori let out a small chuckle. Okay, so Deidara was really serious about accomplishing some form of art piece that night. He really shouldn't have doubted it. They both wanted this; they just never had the courage or motivation to do it. Now that they had both they weren't going to let it go.

"Let's go, Brat," Sasori said and started walking off only to realise that Deidara wasn't following. He turned back around. "What?"

"There is something really wrong with you Danna, un. Where's the glare?! Gosh, I'm totally sending you to the psych floor tomorrow, un," Deidara said seriously.

Sasori did glare at him then just for the sake of it. He didn't put it past that crazy blonde to actually call up the psych floor the next day and book an appointment for him. If word of that got to Chiyo, he wasn't quite sure if he would able to explain his way out of it.

On the more serious side, if Chiyo did link it back to Deidara, who knew what would happen? He was quite (read: more than very) happy not to let his close relationship with Deidara be known to Chiyo, though he had his suspicion that she did somewhat know already, especially after his encounter with Deidara's mother.

But he stopped himself from thinking about that issue any further; Chiyo had made enough of an appearance that night.

"Brat, can we just enter the house so we can start already?" Sasori asked in annoyance. If he was going to stop thinking about Chiyo then he was going to have to start on his art soon. Besides, he had waited long enough already.

"As impatient as ever, Danna, un," Deidara replied easily, as was his usual answer, but even Sasori could see how impatient Deidara himself was feeling.

Normally, just for the sake of pissing Sasori off and testing his patience, Deidara would take his time getting things done, but he wasn't pulling off any of his antics now. He fished the key out his wallet and unlocked the gate deftly.

"Danna, I'm being serious now, so listen, un," Deidara said as he locked the gate after Sasori had entered the compound. "There are bombs around, un. So follow me and not set anything off."

"I know," Sasori said in amusement while Deidara shot him a look of shock.

"Were you one of the bloody idiots who set some of it off, un?" Deidara demanded, a look of incredulity replacing the surprised expression on his face.

"No," Sasori said and rolled his eyes to emphasise how mentally challenged Deidara must be to even suggest that. Deidara shrugged. Sasori couldn't blame him; why else would he know about the bombs? "I saw some kids set them off, and by the way, the explosives weren't so impressive."

"Danna, if I made them any bigger, I risk damaging the house or even destroying it altogether, un," Deidara said in his matter-of-fact tone that he always used when he thought that he was saying something that made Sasori look stupid.

Sasori ignored him and instead focused on his steps. Knowing Deidara, the place must be filled with the bombs. Dangerous or not, he was not risking setting off any of those contraptions which Deidara created… which reminded him…

"_Why _did you make those bombs?"

"To keep trespassers out, un," Deidara said happily and the lingering wide smile on his face told Sasori that that wasn't the only reason.

"Well?"

"It's my favourite form of art, un. It's so sudden and it only lasts for a few seconds at most. There isn't even any time to admire its beauty to the fullest extent before it disappears into nothingness. It's transient and perfect," Deidara gushed and Sasori was sure that he had never seen the blonde so happy and animated before, and that was saying a lot.

Still, that didn't mean that Sasori agreed with his point of view, and neither was he kind enough to let his opinion go unheard.

"If you don't even have time to fully appreciate its beauty, how is it perfect?" Sasori asked, and the flash in Deidara's eyes told him that the blonde was more than up for this endless debate between them.

"_That's _what makes it so beautiful and flawless, un," Deidara replied, shooting Sasori a smug smile. "Because it lasts for only such a short moment, the only time you can embrace its beauty is in that moment and that makes it all the more worth it."

"A perceived beauty," Sasori corrected. "Precisely because it lasts so short that you imagine it to be better than it actually is. It's just like how people always think that the past was better than it really was; because it's already gone so they can imagine how they like it to be and visit it as a "perfect" memory when they want to."

"And how is a perceived beauty different from real beauty? And if a person perceives something to be beautiful, then are they not entitled to their own opinion of what is "real", un?" Deidara retorted.

"Are you admitting that the beauty is but make belief?" Sasori asked with a smirk, though he knew that Deidara wasn't going to lose just like that.

"I'm suggesting that perceived beauty is beauty enough to the subject in question, un," Deidara replied. "Meaning your claim is invalid."

"A truly beautiful thing is one which withstands time and remains beautiful to all who see it no matter when," Sasori said as Deidara shook his head.

"If something remains there forever, then it'll just become part of the background, un. Say, even if it really is attractive, people are bound to get sick of it if they see it every day, un," Deidara argued.

"I agree with you," Sasori said but before the look of triumph could fully show on the blonde's face, he continued, "but it's the concept of eternity, the fact that it can withstand so many things and still remain beautiful, regardless of people's opinion of it, that is so flawless and perfect."

"How the heck would you appreciate it if it's going to be there forever, un?"

"How would you appreciate something that will only impact your life for three seconds?"

Deidara looked like he was about to retort but he realised that they had reached the door already and all thoughts of arguing flew out of his head in anticipation of what was to come. Sasori appeared to have reached the same conclusion as well because he wasn't saying anything anymore.

Without taking out a key or anything, Deidara simply pushed the door open and entered the surprisingly well-furbished house.

"It's not like anyone can even get to here anyway, un," Deidara said, smirking.

Sasori didn't disagree.

After looking around for a bit, Sasori eventually came to the conclusion that Deidara actually came to this house quite often. The most telling factor would be how clean the house was. There wasn't even a speck of dust anywhere. He obviously took care of this house more than the one he was staying at. If Deidara liked this house so much, why didn't he just stay here?

"I don't stay here because this house isn't technically mine; it belonged to my father, un," Deidara said.

Sasori didn't even feel shocked that Deidara practically just read his mind. He was seriously getting too used to the blonde and his uncanny ability to seemingly, well, read his mind.

"He's dead, un," Deidara elaborated and the tone in his voice told Sasori that this was a story for another day. Though he wanted to know more, he wasn't going to pry obviously and the blonde knew that by now because he didn't even bother explicitly telling Sasori that. Besides, they both knew that there was something more important that night.

"Make yourself comfortable, un," Deidara said distractedly. He was already pulling his art supplies from his bag and was setting them on a study desk nearby.

Sasori went over to the sofa and started laying out his stuff on the coffee table as well. It had been a while since he felt as excited as he did at that moment. He never realised how much he missed the rush of adrenalin upon the touch of wood against his skin. He was a narcissist but he had to admit that he did really well to be able to put off touching art for so long.

Afterwards, time passed by in a blur. He hadn't forgotten any of his skills at all. If anything, it would seem that he had gotten better but it must be because of the pent up desire and want that his hands were moving as quick as they were. He didn't have any particular design in mind but his hands knew what to do, and so he lost himself in the heaven that he found.

He didn't know if Deidara attempted to talk to him and honestly he didn't care. He was feeling more alive than he had ever felt in years and he wondered how he managed to live his life without any art in it. He really had been but a living corpse.

When he was done, he took a moment to admire his work. He found some spots which he wasn't so pleased with but overall he was satisfied. This was already more than he could wish for and while this definitely wasn't one of his finest work, it was still up to his standard so there really wasn't anything else he could complain about.

"Are you done, un?" Deidara asked, content laced in his voice. Sasori had never heard him sound so at peace before, and he supposed that Deidara had never seen him so relaxed before either.

He gave a nod in response and looked over to the desk where Deidara was working at. It would appear that the blonde had just finished as well because the clay stains on the table were still wet. He stood up to walk over. Just because he didn't agree with Deidara's form of art doesn't mean he didn't appreciate it… to a certain extent anyway.

When he saw bottles of chemicals on Deidara's desk as well, he turned to look at the blonde with a questioning look. The last time he remembered, clay work didn't require any chemicals.

"Oh stop looking at me like I'm about to set the entire place on fire, un," Deidara chided with a playful roll of his eyes.

"There _are _bombs surrounding this very house we're in," Sasori told him and realisation lit up in Deidara's eyes.

"I never thought about it that way, un!"

Sasori sighed in exasperation. It was so typical of Deidara to not think things through, or even think actually. Somehow Sasori was quite convinced that the only reasons there were bombs buried in the ground was because Deidara just wanted to make them and later had nowhere else to place them.

"Where is your work anyway?" Sasori asked when he realised that there wasn't a sign of Deidara's art work anywhere. He knew that Deidara loved transient art but surely he couldn't have let them go already.

"There, un," Deidara said, inclining his head towards a small, brown, wooden box on the desk. He pulled it over to him and opened it. Inside was a moulded clay bird which was carved so skilfully that it looked too real to be fake. Sasori was more than impressed and Deidara must know that because he was giving the smuggest grin ever.

"You are an artist," Sasori said and that was enough for Deidara, because Sasori didn't just call anyone an artist. And to call someone whose view on art differed so greatly from his own to the point that he potentially didn't even see it as art was something that Sasori didn't do likely. He affirmed Deidara as an artist; there was nothing more Deidara wanted.

"That's not the end of it though, un," Deidara said with a rather sardonic smile.

Sasori was just about to ask what was going to happen (hopefully it wouldn't explode) when Deidara took the bird out from the box and carefully attached it to a spring. Sasori then realised it was a music box, just that the ornament was missing and Deidara was replacing it with the bird instead. Now Sasori was interested.

Deidara picked the box up and winded it before settling it down again as a soft melodious tune filled the room. At first, the music box worked as how a music box should; the bird spun in rounds as music flowed from it. Then, the most peculiar thing happened.

The bird started flaking, but it didn't happen in an uncoordinated manner nor was the bird ever disfigured. With each turn, the bird shed a thin layer of its coat, each time bearing a new colour until there was no more clay left and the bird disappeared in a swirl of gold, ending in time with the tune.

"And explosives aren't the only form of transient art, un," Deidara said proudly, because he was pretty sure that he was the only person in the universe who could make Akasuna Sasori wear such a shocked look upon his face. Okay, so Sasori didn't look all that shock but the fact that he was visibly shock was more than accomplishment enough.

"Brat, you're better than I think," Sasori finally said in the end. "You're good."

Deidara beamed happily. He didn't tell Sasori but he did respect the man a lot, in terms of medicine and even art though he had never actually seen any of Sasori's art pieces, so the fact that Sasori found it necessary to compliment him outright was possibly one of the best things that had happened in his life.

"So that's what the chemicals were for?" Sasori asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course, Danna! Did you really think I was going to make more explosives, un?" Deidara asked in indignation.

"I wouldn't put it past you," Sasori said.

Sasori had a really fine point there so Deidara didn't bother disagreeing with that statement.

"Well, as you can see, that was the work of a lot of math and science in the form of art, un," Deidara said before sighing in satisfaction. "I'm a bloody genius."

Sasori rolled his eyes. He admitted that Deidara was a genius but he wasn't too fond of fanning his ego; it was already big enough and Sasori was sure that Deidara had no problems inflating it himself.

"Let me see yours, un!" Deidara demanded, sounding so much like a child that Sasori wanted to say 'no' just to see if he would literally throw a tantrum and start throwing things around. But of course he was too sensible for that.

He walked back to the coffee table with table close behind him. He almost burst out laughing at how eager the blonde was.

"Wow, Danna, wow," Deidara said in pure amazement as he stared at the marionette laid on the table. "I knew you were good, but how did you do that with wood, un?"

Deidara held it up by the strings and gasped at how life-like the marionette was. It was a lady wearing a tube dress with a flared out bottom. A single rose was intricately carved onto the top part of the dress and many patterns of roses were shaped on the bottom such that they looked like intertwining vines. The hair was styled into a French bun and Sasori even added butterfly ornaments onto it. Deidara was already amazed beyond speech when he realised that even the high heels worn by the marionette was specially designed.

"How the heck did you manage to do that in such a short amount of time, un?" Deidara demanded, knowing fully well that he was stroking Sasori's ego to a whole new level but finding that he couldn't being himself to care.

"I'm a genius," Sasori said with a smirk, looking haughtier than ever.

That was the expected answer of course but that didn't stop Deidara from feeling like he should set off a bomb in Sasori's face. But before he could say anything, he suddenly realised something, and apparently so did Sasori before the proud look was gone and he was looking at Deidara apprehensively.

"So Brat, when you said that I managed to do that in 'such a short amount of time', how much time did I take exactly?"

"I have no idea, Danna, un," Deidara replied slowly but the burning glow of the dawn was indicative enough.

"It's sunrise," Sasori stated simply.

"Way to be captain obvious, Danna, un," Deidara replied and Sasori shot him a look.

"Brat," Sasori said slowly and Deidara looked at him and raise an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Run."

And before Deidara could say anything else, Sasori had already sprinted out of the house. Deidara spluttered for a moment before he gathered his wits and switched off all the lights before sprinting off as well. It was probably about five, meaning he had about two hours before he had to be at the hospital, and he still had to get back home to wash up and grab his stuff.

Deidara was pretty sure he had never felt so screwed in relation to medicine before but as he sprinted to the subway, he found that he couldn't care very much.

He was much too happy.

* * *

Hope you guys enjoyed that! ^^ I know this is late again but it's the longest chapter so far (I think) so I hope that makes up for it! I probably will be updating later and later. So sorry!

And I'm so terribly sorry that I haven't replied to any of you guys! D: I was having my exams and my piano exam so I didn't have time. D: I'll try to reply them this time! ^^

Thanks so much for your support up till now! ^^


End file.
